Gold and Blue
by hoshiko2kokoro
Summary: The King of Spades has no power in politics, until he meets the catalyst that sparks his desire to be great.
1. Part 1

" 'The great and mighty Kingdom of Spades has undergone quite a lot of changes over the decades. Once known as the Mighty Spades Empire during its eighth reign, it is now the Democracy of Spades with a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The King and Queen of Spades are still revered'… I'm sorry, but what?"

King Alfred Jones lowered his history book and frowned. His mentor, Toris Laurinaitis, looked over at him. The man had been with Alfred all of the King's life and he was used to Alfred's evasion to learn. This was nothing new.

He brushed his shoulder-length brown hair behind his ears and asked, "Is something wrong, Sire?"

"We're still _revered_? By who?" Alfred closed the book angrily and tossed it onto the table before him. "What a bunch of bull."

"You Majesty, there are still people in Spades that do respect the monarchy," Toris said gently. "My own family has been beside the Family for countless generations."

"The majority of Spades think I'm a leech to society, taking their tax money, and since I no longer have a say in politics, I should just vanish."

Toris studied Alfred carefully. The King wasn't prone to emotional outbursts like this, but when it happened, he became very sensitive to specific topics; the worst being his position in the world. It was at times like these that he needed a friend more than a mentor. Unfortunately, Toris was not considered one.

"Sire," Toris started, sighing. "Perhaps you should talk with the Jack…"

Apparently this was the worst idea to suggest as Alfred bristled at the mere mention of the Jack of Spades, Yao Wang. The man had been his only friend since the King was a child, but Alfred was constantly jealous of the Jack's power in the government. It wasn't long ago that the Jack barely had any political power, and the King was the head Face Card. Now, however, that was certainly not the case. And Alfred resented this fact.

"I'm done with studying," Alfred said firmly.

Toris knew it would be unwise to push the matter any further. He tried to change topics. "There is a ball soon. Are you excited?"

Alfred slouched in his seat and crossed his arms. His frown turned into a pout, making him look far younger than he really was. "No… That means I have to wear all of those formal, stuffy clothes."

Although he was the King, he figured he not much was expected of him. Therefore, he was often in a T-shirt and jeans. Sometimes he would wear a button-up, collared shirt, but his loathing of suits and tuxedos made him look less like royalty and more like an unruly teenager.

"I think I'm gonna play some video games." Alfred stood suddenly, causing Toris to scramble up as well. Alfred ignored this and left the room.

He hated social things, being forced to mingle with people who only acted polite because of his title; a title that meant so little. No one cared for him personally. Most days, Alfred found little reason to be alive. If he died at least he'd see his parents and brother. Of course, he had no will to take his life.

Despite this inner, secret bitterness outlook on life, Alfred remained pleasant with most everyone he met. Almost everyone who met him thought him kind and amicable, but no one saw him as a King to admire. They knew who he was, but to know and to respect are two very different things.

* * *

Alfred F. Jones was born into a long, proud line of royals in the Democracy of Spades. His mother was of distant royal Hearts blood, which did not bode well for the young king. Although he was only nineteen, there was pressure for him to marry and produce an heir to further the Spades line, otherwise Hearts could lay claim to the throne through that small bloodline that was once the Queen. While his parents and brother had died when Alfred was young, Yao Wang was elevated to a Protector status until Alfred came of age.

It was for this reason that Alfred was still cold to his old friend at times.

The King thought it odd the people didn't care for the monarchy, but still wanted Alfred to continue it. This kind of indecisive attitude drove him mad. Rather than figure it out, however, Alfred chose to do nothing. He would attend parties and chat with politicians, and even went to the traditional King's Joust every year. It appeased the people long enough to remember him. After it was over, he was a nobody once more.

Jack Yao Wang presided over Parliament, ruling the country as fairly as he could. He never pushed the King to do anything he didn't like, but often times he would arrive with invitations to gala events. Alfred tried to avoid him then. If Yao came with a smile, Alfred hurried away with a lie that he was busy.

Today, he wasn't lucky.

"Yao," Alfred whined. He tossed the invitation to the floor as if it had insulted him. Despite there being the ball Toris had mentioned the other day, Alfred hadn't been invited yet. He was hoping he was forgotten once more and wouldn't have to attend. "There's no point to me going. I just shake hands, smile, and nod. It's so boring!"

"A king should be seen at important events," Yao said calmly. He bent to retrieve the invitation, and set it on the table nearby. Like Toris, he was used to Alfred's whiny tantrums.

The calm man was known as the wisest in Spades, some whispered that he was perhaps in all of Hoyle. He, too, had a long heritage in the royal affairs of the country, although he wasn't considered royalty anymore. Ever since the Jack took precedence in politics, he was seen as a politician instead. However, he was not voted into office like the Lords and Ladies of Court. It was through blood like that of the King and Queen.

Alfred knew and understood that the people of Spades love tradition as much as they rapidly sped away from it. They craved tradition with the monarchy. Yao always took every opportunity to wear the old Jack attire that had been passed down through the Wang line. The old, blue Chinese outfit was very outdated, but still brought attention to the Jack. On the other hand, Alfred stayed in a normal tuxedo. He kept away from the King's traditional garment, making it easier to hide away if he needed a moment alone.

"There's no point," Alfred pressed once again.

Yao shot him a look. "You are going."

"You're going to hook me up with girls again, aren't you?"

Yao chuckled. "You know I never do. That is all Lady Teal's doing. She loves to be a matchmaker with you. I merely guide them your way when they ask."

"Do me a favor and don't send me any chicks tonight."

Yao only smiled in reply.

* * *

The party was no different than the others. Lords, Ladies, Dukes, and Duchesses were courteous to Alfred, special guests were cordial, and ladies were suffocating. He should've considered himself lucky to be Spades' most eligible bachelor, but he knew it was all for naught. Most ladies were not of royal blood, so courting them was a waste of time, and the others were vain, money grabbers, or cougars.

Alfred had his usual pleasant attitude about him, but that was all he did. He didn't force himself to be anything else and was good at hiding anything else away. Once everyone had said their hellos and gone out to mingle, Alfred sat at his throne and daydreamed. He wished he were in a different time, one that had actual balls with amazing outfits, beautiful dresses, and had people actually dancing. The party he was at currently had none of this; just everyone standing around, holding a drink, and talking their way into the night.

If he lived in another time he would be a King. He'd be powerful and admired and respected. There would be none of this backseat watching lifestyle. Alfred knew he was unlucky to be born in this era when he longed to be in another.

"Your Majesty!" A man dressed in a rich blue suit with a white ascot approached the throne. He bowed deeply. "Jack Yao instructed me you would be here."

"Good evening Duke of Blue," Alfred said politely. "What is it you would like?"

The older man smiled kindly. He had been the Duke of Blue longer than Alfred had been alive, however he was growing too old for his position. Where once he had fair, blonde hair and bright green eyes was now balding patches of grey and faded green in his tired eyes. Nevertheless, he was always smiling when he saw the King. Alfred couldn't say he disliked the man.

"You know I will be retiring shortly." Alfred did not. "I wanted to introduce to you my son who will be taking my place. His name is Arthur."

Well, at least Yao had kept to his promise and didn't send any ladies his way. Alfred stood, signaling that it was all right for the Duke to continue. The man turned around and motioned to a blonde who stood just out of sight near the wall. He looked a bit older than Alfred with messy hair the same color that once belonged to his father, striking green eyes, and thick eyebrows. He had a lean frame that was outlined nicely by his blue suit. Alfred squashed the urge to frown. This man seemed more regal than Alfred. As if he were being challenged, Alfred straightened his back and squared his shoulders.

"Hello, Your Majesty. It is an honor to meet you." Arthur swept an arm out and then behind his back as he bowed as lowly as his father. "I hope to be of great use to the crown, and to the country."

Arthur's father smiled at the King. "The Kirklands have always been loyal to the monarchy, Sire."

"That's nice," Alfred said. He knew the Duke was saving face for himself, and trying to make a good impression for his son.

"Sire, if I may have a word with you?" Arthur asked. He nodded to his father.

The man bowed to Alfred again, and then left. Alfred turned his attention to Arthur, not wondering in the slightest just what the man was about to ask him.

"Yes?" Alfred asked.

"Sire, if I may be so bold… My father never was, but I feel I must ask for your help in this matter." Arthur came closer to emphasize his feelings. Alfred remained where he was. "You know of the situation in Upper Blue, yes?"

"No," Alfred replied flatly. Since he wasn't involved in political affairs, he didn't feel the need to read about them.

Arthur faltered in his obviously practiced speech. "O-oh. Well, there is much homelessness in the area. It has affected housing and jobs and education. I fear it will only grow worse unless action is taken."

Alfred stated at Arthur blankly. "Okay? Like what?"

"With your help, I believe we can get Jack Yao to make a motion for it in Parli-"

"Pfft!" Alfred quickly muffled his laugh. Arthur was startled out of his speech. He stared at the King in aghast. "Um, look, I know your dad said you were loyal to the Family, but you _do_ know I have no power in the government, right?"

"Of course I do, but-"

"Then you know that talking to me is useless?"

"Well, I-"

"Good. So you know that if you want something done with Yao, you have to ask him. I can't talk to him about anything."

Arthur hesitated. He didn't look ready to back down. The determination in his eyes only seemed stronger now. "You mean even if you were to give advice to the Jack, he would not listen?"

"Pretty much."

"You must not understand the power you have," Arthur said in a sad tone. Does he pity me, Alfred thought. However, the word "power" caught his interest.

"Power? You mean…like a superpower?" Alfred asked a little too enthusiastically.

The corners of Arthur's lips twitched briefly before returning to his stoic expression. "Not exactly, Sire. I mean influential power. You can talk to the people and garner their support. That in turn will affect the Dukes and Duchesses and then the Lords and Ladies, and eventually the Jack."

Alfred furrowed his brow at this, more disappointed he wasn't about to be told he had some secret super power, like super strength. He'd always wanted that, more than flying. "And how would I do that?"

"Through me, Sire." Arthur produced some pamphlets from his inner pocket in his suit. He held them out to Alfred. The King didn't take them. "If you read these and apply for a fundraising event in the Blue Area, I can grant you it. We could raise money for new shelters or for new schools."

Alfred looked at the flyers uncertainly. "Arthur, it sounds…nice, but what can I do?"

"So much. Your name invokes great power and recognition! If people were to hear that King Alfred is at a public fundraising event, there's sure to be a large turnout!"

"I don't know… No one seems to care about me or the monarchy anymore. I'm…outdated."

Now it was Arthur's turn to laugh. Alfred snapped his eyes to him.

"Forgive me, Sire, but if what you say is true, then why are you? What use are you to anyone, even yourself?"

Alfred's anger began to rear up at this, but it was fueled by sadness. He knew this man was right as he had many thoughts about it himself. It was just hearing it being said that made him want to actually defend himself.

"Hey! Don't talk to the King that way!" Alfred shouted suddenly. Arthur quickly backed down, ducking his head as he felt the eyes of nearby guests look over.

"Y-Your Majesty, please, I…" Arthur didn't even look up at he continued to speak. "I did not mean to offend. I merely… wanted to point out that you have a great use. Greater than you have ever thought you could be. The fact that you disregard this, or rather, just don't see this, is very depressing indeed. You were put here for a reason, and I believe that is to be great."

Alfred stared at Arthur, still quite angry, but hearing something like that said made him all the more upset. He wasn't sure what it was that scared him, but he dismissed Arthur from his sight. Yao heard of Alfred's incident and quickly came to see him.

"Are you all right, Your Majesty?" Yao asked quietly. He was near the King, but was trying not to look too concerned. It was best the other guests didn't know if Alfred truly was angry or not.

"I'm going to my room. You can't stop me." Alfred rose and started to leave. Yao didn't even try to ask why.

Once back in the safety of his own room, Alfred called for candy and soda. He didn't care that it was already so late in the evening and there was a chance he would stay up later, he needed comfort food. As soon as all of the servants let him be, he pulled the photo frame from his nightstand of his family over to him.

That night had been the first night since his parents died that anyone had said he was alive to be great.

* * *

_Hoshiko2_'s cents: Welcome to my new story, and my new cardverse series. This will run parallel with Hoyle updates, so I hope you enjoy the two 'verses. Hope to see you around.


	2. Part 2

Alfred was restless. He paced his chambers with a focused look. His servant came into the room hesitantly. There was a good chance the King was in as foul a mood as he had been a month ago after the last gala event. All the servants talked of the King being confronted by some man that left him extremely angry. The servant carefully placed Alfred's lunch on a table while his eyes were trained on the King. "Your Majesty, is something wrong?"

Alfred stopped suddenly, and then turned to face the man. He held his hands up as his face scrunched up comically like he was in pain. "Why can't it be my birthday yet?!"

The servant sighed in relief, even chuckling a little bit. "Well, summer is near, Sire, and with it comes the Joust and your birthday party."

Alfred resumed pacing. He groaned agitatedly. "Don't remind me. I just want it to be now."

"As the Jack would say, patience is a virtue…"

Alfred smirked at this. "Well, I say it's time to play video games! To the game room!"

The servant laughed, picked up the tray of food, and followed the King who thought he was five years old. The game room was an old, unused music room with marble floors and expansive windows that was once reserved for entertaining guests, but was now one of the most advanced gaming rooms in the world. A 70 inch LED 3D Smart T.V. took precedence in the room where all of the current gaming consoles were plugged into it. Large beanbag chairs faced the television that seemed to devour whoever sat in them. Off to the side was a pool table that, when flipped upside down, was converted to an air hockey table.

Just through the doors was a fully useable bowling alley with a small arcade and snack bar. The lights could be turned off and dark lights would illuminate the room. In the adjourning room was a large movie theater that could play 3D movies.

Some days it was good to be the King.

As Alfred plopped down to play, his phone went off. The display read "Kiku", the Queen of Hearts.

"Hey dude!" Alfred answered. "I'm about to get on Xbox! Wanna join?"

The Queen chuckled on the other end. "I called to invite you. I've been playing for the past hour."

"What?! Cheater!"

"There is no cheating in practice."

"Whatever! I'm on. Lemme get my headphones." Alfred hung up, and then reached for his headset. He called to his servant, "I'm not to be disturbed!"

"Of course, Sire."

Alfred was left alone with his games in the expansive room.

"Hello," Kiku said pleasantly as soon as Alfred had connected to the game. "Our usual?"

"Oh yeah!"

The two royals played a first-person shooting game for a while, mindlessly talking about their countries. Unlike Alfred, Kiku still had a hand in matters of the government. Hearts dabbled in both monarchy and democracy. Their Dukes and Duchesses were voted on rather than passed along by bloodline as it was in Spades.

Thinking of that, Alfred said, "Ya know, it's funny how backwards my country is. Everything is by blood here and not voting, and yet I can't do jack shit about anything."

"I do not have much power either," Kiku said. He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth when Alfred killed his character. He waited until it had regenerated to continue talking. "Everything must be voted on and I can't overturn anything. I have to get support and then just propose the motion."

"But that's the difference! You can still _do_ something."

Kiku sighed, his breath making a loud noise against the microphone. "Please do not think you are so useless."

"I don't. Hah! Take that!"

"Missed."

"No way!"

"Do not change the subject," Kiku said firmly.

"I'm not, and I don't think that about myself."

"You have voiced this- Got you."

"FUCK!"

"You have voiced this once before."

"Naw…"

Suddenly, there came a knock at the door. Alfred ignored it and continued to play, until he heard a louder knock, one that sounded a little more urgent. He looked over his shoulder in confusion.

"Hang on, Kiku. Someone's here."

"Okay."

Alfred got up to answer. He smiled when he saw Yao. "Hey! You're not here with another invitation to some ball, are you?"

"Not at all. I have the list of invitations to your birthday party instead." Yao came into the room, glancing at the game on the screen. "Is that Queen Kiku?"

"Always. Why're we inviting people now? It's in two months."

The two walked over to the pool table where Yao put down a small manila folder that was full of papers with names on them. Alfred frowned at this, but he picked up the papers and began to skim through the list.

"It takes time for people to make time, especially those of royalty. I took the liberty to invite all of the other countries' rulers. I knew you would love to see Kiku, Feliciano, Francis, and Ivan again."

Alfred hummed his approval at this. Then, he stopped and pointed at a name in the middle of the paper. "Ah! Him. I don't want him there."

Yao looked at the name. "Arthur Kirkland? He will soon be the new Duke of Blue. It would be in bad taste to not invite him."

"I don't care," Alfred said with a shrug. "He's rude."

"From what I gather at Court he is a gentleman," Yao tried.

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Prolly just an act, but I don't care. Take him off. He was rude to me the last time we met. It's my party, and I do not want him there."

"Yes Sire." Yao collected the papers and left.

Alfred returned to his game, sighing angrily as he sat. "You there?"

"Yes. Are you okay? You sound a bit…"

Alfred sighed loudly again. "Yeah… A few months ago I met this guy and he was totally rude to me. Yao wanted him at my party, but I said no. I just got a little upset at remembering him. Man, he was a jerk…"

"Rude to you? What did he do?" Kiku asked. They resumed their game.

"He started preaching to me how I should fundraise to get money for the homeless."

"How is that rude?"

"Because you know I can't do that! Even if I could do something like that, no one would come. I could pitch a tent with a sign that said I was there and no one would come."

"Then make pasta!"

Alfred yelped in surprise at the sudden loud voice in his earpiece, almost dropping his controller in the process. He recognized the voice as Feliciano Vargas, the Jack of Hearts. The man was known far and wide for his friendliness and uncanny ability to always stay positive.

"Jeez, Feli. You're too loud."

Feliciano's voice was quieter when he spoke next. "Oh, sorry. Kiku has the headset on speaker and I heard you talking so I wanted to tell you to make pasta for your fundraiser! People will always come in there's pasta!"

"Feliciano has a point," Kiku said. "If you host a dinner party that took donations, people would be more likely to come. It's not hard."

"I dunno. Look, let's just play! I came to fight!"

"All right," Kiku said softly. There was a hint of remorse to his voice, but he didn't press the issue anymore.

* * *

Alfred made his usual trip to Parliament to do his annual "Opening" that was more than circumstance. It held no true political value to it, and Parliament could carry on without his appearance, but his father had done the ceremony up until his death, and Alfred had carried that on, never missing a year. The press loved to see him and some citizens even turned out to say hello. Alfred was more than accommodating to everyone. He posed for pictures, stopped to chat, and even kissed women's cheeks when asked. It was rare, and he soaked up as much attention as he could get.

However, as he was to head inside he heard a familiar voice call out to him. It didn't sound like a fan garnering for his attention, but rather held a more urgent tone. Turning around, Alfred saw Arthur Kirkland standing just near the door into the Clock Room, the building for Parliament. The man didn't look upset, nor did it seem he was in any particular trouble. Instead, it seemed as if he were sad as he stared at the King.

"Ah, Mr. Kirkland?" Alfred couldn't say he was thrilled to see Arthur there, but he wondered just what he would do in public. Maybe he'd cause a scene again and then his mask of being a gentleman would be cast aside for the entire world to see.

"Sire, I… I apologize for upsetting you upon our initial meeting." Alfred frowned. This wasn't what he was hoping for. Arthur turned his eyes downcast as he said sadly, "I have heard I am not invited to your birthday celebration, and I know it is because of my falling out of your grace."

"You were never in my grace," Alfred said a little harshly. He felt annoyed at all of this. "My birthday isn't political, no matter what the Jack says."

His tone had an air of finality, and he left. His mind whirled in directions that contradicted everything, wrapping him up into his head and missing how the press covered all of this.

By the afternoon, it was all over the social networks online that King Alfred Jones _hated_ the up-coming Duke of Blue Arthur Kirkland.

* * *

Alfred kept to the shadows as he stumbled about the sidewalk. He was in the palace gardens, but on the off chance he ran into a guard, he didn't want them rushing off to tell Yao. The King could only imagine just what the Jack would do to him if he found out that he was incapacitated when he wasn't of age to drink. Was it such a big deal? He was only one year away from being of legal drinking age. There was no reason for him to be drinking, but he felt any time he wanted to was good enough for him.

His plan was to slink to the back kitchen doors where he would go inside the palace, tell all of the servants to forget he was there, drink as much water as he could, and try to get to his room undetected. It wasn't a perfect plan, and much of it hinged on his servants' loyalty, but hopefully if he was inside the palace, Yao couldn't have much of an argument about him being seen in public and drunk. He didn't have to know about his trip down to the local bar.

While he watched around for any wandering guards, he ran right into a normal citizen. Well, not entirely normal if they were on the palace grounds.

"Oh! Oh, Your Majesty! Forgive me!" Alfred squinted in the dark to see bright green eyes and thick eyebrows.

"Oh, it's _you_," Alfred slurred. He frowned at seeing Arthur Kirkland again, only two weeks after their awkward conversation outside of the Clock Room. "What're you doing here?"

"I was called here by… Sire…are you _drunk_?!" Arthur took a step back as if in disgust. "You are not of age!"

"Big deal!" Alfred scoffed. He wiped at his nose as if to seem cool, but given how drunk he was, it looked as if he were trying to pick it instead. He leaned too far back and lost his balance. "Oh fuck!"

"Sire!" Arthur moved to help him to stand, but Alfred slapped his hand away.

"Get away from me! You! You were so blunt to me and just! Just! It was so much better than you being all sad and stuff outside Parliament!"

Arthur hesitated as he stared down at Alfred. Then, "You…liked that I was confrontational with you?"

"Yes!" Alfred shouted. He flung his hands up in the air as he tilted backwards slightly, almost lying on his back. "Yes because, because, dude, you're the only person in this fucking world to stand up to me! I, I was only mad at you because… Because, I dunno. I don't remember. But it was a good reason."

Arthur blushed slightly, but then began laughing. He wrapped his arms around his waist, hugging himself as he laughed hard into the silent night. Alfred watched from his spot on the ground before joining in.

"Sire, I believe you're the first person to actually like my rude behavior," Arthur said breathlessly. He wiped at a tear at the corner of his eye. "It's been everywhere that you hate me and I just thought that…"

"Well did _I_ ever say I hated you?" Alfred asked with wide eyes.

"N-no," Arthur replied. He inhaled to catch his breath. "It's been said that Jack Yao doesn't want me to go near you for fear we might break out into a fight."

"Yeah, well, Yao babies me." Alfred jumped up suddenly, a finger in the air. He wobbled slightly, but managed to stay upright. "Ya know! If I see Yao I'm gonna tell him… GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE!"

Arthur snorted, but then quickly covered his mouth as he heard guards approaching. He looked over Alfred's shoulder and, sure enough, a small group of them marched up. Alfred was oblivious to them, until he heard a stern, scathing voice call his name.

Turning, Alfred looked down at Yao who glared at him with his hands akimbo. "What are you doing here? It's late and you've been drinking! Get inside!"

"Ah, forgive me, sir," Arthur started as he moved to stand beside Alfred. "I found him this way and I was just-"

Yao's attention turned to Arthur, and suddenly he grew defensive. "And you! The King has expressed his intense dislike of you! You are not to be near him and-"

"GET OFF YER HIGH HORSE!" Alfred shouted, pointing at Yao.

Then, the King bent over and proceeded to vomit on Yao's shoes.

* * *

_Hoshiko2_'s cents: I hope you're all enjoying your time here in this story. I forgot to mention in the last chapter that this is the last fanfic series I will write. More information can be asked by way of my tumblr, but the announcement has been made that I will stop doing fanfics to focus on my novels starting the New Year.

In any case, see you next update.


	3. Part 3

Arthur walked into his office the next morning nursing an ugly migraine. He hadn't slept well as his dreams had turned into nightmares haunted by Jack Yao's seething face. After the King's drunken incident in the palace gardens ending with vomit on the Jack's shoes, the man told Arthur to leave with one icy glare and on sharp, "Go" that made the Duke hasten away. With the tabloids still labeling Arthur as the King's least liked subject and the scorn of the Jack, Arthur's new role as the Duke of Blue was not going well at all. He might as well just call in sick and stay home for a few days until this all blew over.

However, he knew he could never do that. He made a promise to himself. Sighing loudly as he sat behind his desk, he mulled over the exact reasons why he had made such a promise so long ago. There wasn't enough aspirin to cure him of this pain today. He'd have to make do with what he had as the Blue Area demanded his attention.

Sure enough, he was already being handed papers to sign, documents to read, and had urgent phone calls to answer. All of it, however, came to a halt when Arthur's secretary burst into the office looking panicked. She startled the Duke, and he stopped what he was doing to acknowledge her.

"S-sir," she started, her voice high pitched. "The King is here to see you!"

Arthur jumped up in alarm. His mind instantly rewound to the previous night and their conversation. Did he somehow insult him again? There was a brief moment Arthur had thought the King didn't hate so much. Had he not said he liked how demanding Arthur was? Of course, that could have changed after he vomited.

No matter, Arthur thought as he straightened himself out. I shall keep calm and be a gentleman.

He directed his secretary to let the King in. She hustled away only to return moments later with the King. He didn't look like royalty, however. He wore a blue sweatshirt and baggy jeans that were obviously well worn at the knees. There was a grease smudge on his glasses and a small drop of what looked like pizza sauce on his chin. Arthur felt slightly annoyed the man hadn't even cleaning up after his lunch.

"Your Majesty, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Arthur bowed politely, hiding all traces of his anxiety.

The King looked around the office. His face didn't betray any of his thoughts, causing Arthur to worry more. He began to assume the worst and squirmed on the spot. Suddenly, the King smiled at Arthur, but it wasn't reassuring in the least to the Duke.

"Nice place. Makes me wish I had one."

"Y-you don't have your own personal office?" Arthur asked, surprised at such a thought.

"Not that I know of." Alfred looked at the chair before him. "Can I sit?"

Arthur started, embarrassed he hadn't been more polite to his guest. He quickly pulled the chair out and gestured for the King to sit. Alfred didn't seem upset, but Arthur couldn't think he was in the clear. People in politics and constantly in the public view had to be good with masking their emotions. The King would be no different.

Alfred waited until the Duke had taken his seat to lean forward and say, with an earnest look that startled Arthur, "I came to apologize about last night. I was… Well, I put you in a difficult situation. I explained it to Yao and he doesn't blame you. He even told me to say all of this and write it down so I wouldn't forget and then come see you ASAP."

Arthur felt a twinge of a smile tug at his lips. He sighed a little too loudly, and then flushed, but Alfred only chuckled. "I was worried you were upset with me again by your coming here."

"Naw." The King shrugged. "Actually, I thought you were revolted by what I said and did."

"I've seen quite a few people vomit before. I think I can handle it." Arthur could feel himself relaxing the more he talked with Alfred. It was nice and not entirely too formal as he expected this meeting to be.

Alfred wrung his hands in his lap, not meeting Arthur's eyes. "Um…what I said to you…"

"You mean about you liking how confrontational I was with you?" Arthur smiled slightly, but it vanished quickly at a sudden thought.

What if the King didn't mean it or he changed his mind? He had been intoxicated the previous night, so there was a good chance he was lying. Arthur should have known not to get his hopes up that there was a small chance someone actually tolerated him. How many times had he heard such false promises made? How many men had he given his heart to when he was younger because of candy coated words?

Before his thoughts could fully destroy Arthur's confidence any further, Alfred said, "Well, I meant what I said… I hope I didn't, ya know, screw up."

Arthur's heart pounded hard in his chest as the King's words echoed in his head. He hesitated too long, making Alfred worry.

"Um…"

"Sorry," Arthur said quickly. "I'm trying to…wrap my mind around this change. First you were so angry with me you dismissed me from the ball, then you were indifferent to me when I tried to apologize, and now this. I can't quite understand you…"

Alfred was smiling again. He looked down at his lap, his face red all the way to the tip of his ears. "Well, the first night I wasn't in a good mood long before you showed up. I hate parties. And you…were right. Everything you said. I didn't like that…not really. No one had said that to me, at least not in person. People will write things online, but that's different from having it said aloud. I say it myself plenty of times. It felt more real to hear someone else say it…"

"So why apologize now?" Arthur asked.

Alfred shrugged again. "Well, because last night was gross. Like, even I think I went a little…"

"Too far?" Arthur suggested with an eyebrow raised.

Alfred grimaced. "No. I think it was- whatever. So, I'm here to actually ask for your help."

Arthur sat back in his seat. He wasn't sure his emotions could handle any more of these surprises from the King. An apology and a request all in one day? Whatever the Jack had said to prompt such a reaction from the King, it had worked, and Arthur wanted to personally thank him for it.

"Of course, Sire. Whatever you need."

Alfred smiled. "I asked Yao to get them for me, but I totally forgot them at home."

"Home?" Arthur repeated slowly. "Home as in the _palace_?"

"Yeah? What's wrong?"

Sometimes, Alfred forgot that not everyone lived in such luxury.

"So, anyways, I need your help in planning a fundraiser." Alfred's smile captured Arthur's heart as he continued to talk. "See, I just. You're right. I'm no good, but I _could_ be good if I tried, right? So, maybe, I could do something and give to the homeless or orphans or whatever it was you mentioned at the ball. But I gotta start somewhere. Can you help?"

* * *

Yao noticed the change almost instantly, and red flags went up. He should have said something the day he saw Alfred waltz around the palace, humming, and looking silly beyond all reason. It was unlike the young King to be so happy about anything, even if he won a video game against the Queen of Hearts. He was too absorbed in finding things to be upset about. However, Yao thought this a nice change of pace and never mentioned it.

It got worse as the days progressed, and soon Alfred was leaving the palace more frequently. All accounts pointed to him going to the Blue Area much more, but again, Yao paid little attention. He was more concerned about laws he had to pass and legislations he had to furiously rewrite. If the King had found a friend, then he was glad for him. It couldn't go much further than a few months before Alfred would grow tired of them and come back to his senses. Yao knew that much was certain.

Then, one day a servant mentioned Alfred was organizing a fundraiser. Yao's interest was perked, and he looked into the Lord Blue's paperwork to find that it was indeed true. There at the top of the paper was the proclamation by King Alfred, and down at the bottom was Duke Kirkland's signature.

How could a man who Alfred had voiced his loathing for suddenly become so close to the Crown? It didn't add up. The media had gobbled up such a story, grateful for some real action with the King, so there was little chance they would miss this strange turn of events. And yet, good news was not the type of news that sold papers. The story was promptly left out after one tiny article mentioned it in the Spades Daily. Yao wouldn't sully himself to read magazines or tabloids, so for all he knew, things were just kept quiet.

Still, there was a nagging in the back of his head. He had to say something to Alfred on the off chance this wasn't a fling, and he and the Duke would actually become long-lasting friends.

It was rare Yao managed to come and have dinner with Alfred as his schedule often didn't allow for it, but today he was determined to sit down with the King. Tonight's feast was the usual favorite of Alfred's, mainly consisting of red meat and high carb food such as pasta and bread. But really, put anything between a bun and Alfred will eat it. Yao smiled, remembering the first time he said that to the King. Alfred jokingly said that if Yao could boil rocks and he'd eat it.

"Yao!" Alfred looked up, surprised. He had a fork full of steak stopped mid-way to his mouth. "Hey, you're never here!"

"Well, it has been awhile since we talked." Yao took a seat near the King. A servant placed a plate before him, and he began to fill it with the food from the table. "I thought we could over dinner like we used to."

"Awesome!" Alfred shoved the steak into his mouth. He might have poor manners for a King, but he never talked with his mouth open. His mother had made sure of that when she was still alive. "How've you been?"

"Fine." Yao was trying to not bring up the fundraiser. He knew if he did, Alfred would beg him to come along, and quite frankly, he didn't know if he wanted to or not. On the one hand, it would be in support of his friend. Although, on the other hand, it would mean he'd see the King being chummy with someone else. When he thought of it that way, though, it made no sense. He wasn't threatened by Queen Kiku's presence, and the two were obviously much closer than Alfred was to the Duke.

But he wasn't threatened by this new guy.

"Yao? You there?" Alfred waved his hand in front of Yao's face.

The Jack was started out of his thoughts. "Oh, sorry."

"It's cool." Alfred resumed eating his meat vigorously.

Yao studied him silently for a moment before saying, "You've been busy lately. Things have been going well?"

"Oh yeah!" Alfred chugged his soda quickly before saying, "Dude, you should come to the fundraiser me and Arthur are putting on!"

Internally, Yao cringed at the invite. He knew he had walked in on that himself, but it was almost inevitable.

"W-well, I don't know, Alfred. My schedule is pretty full…"

"Aw, it's cool," Alfred said suddenly. Yao looked up in surprise. "You can just come to the next one."

Yao gripped his fork tightly, and smiled. "Yes, of course."

* * *

Alfred was struggling to stay still in his limo on the way to the fundraiser. Technically, he had been since last night, which is why he got out of bed at 3 A.M. having never fallen to sleep and made pasta for the event. Despite all of the RSVPs from guests, he still worried no one would actually show up and he'd be made a mockery. He recalled Jack Feliciano suggesting he make food as a way to draw people in. He could only hope it worked.

A thought occurred to him then- even if no one showed, he knew Arthur would be there. That one thought somehow made everything okay, and Alfred calmed some.

During the past few weeks, the King and the Duke had begun to bond, granted it was mainly all business talk as Arthur was dedicated to the task at hand, but even so, Alfred felt strong when he saw the Duke throw himself into his work. It was important to him. For Alfred, to see so much passion from someone for something he was creating gave him great hope, not just in his project, but in himself.

Having just arrived, Alfred found he was standing on the red carpet awkwardly holding a large, blue bowl of pasta. He summed up his courage and held his head high as he walked into the Blue Community Center while the press' cameras flashed him repeatedly for photos. Alfred paid them no mind and looked to admire all of his and Arthur's hard work. The front of the community center had a large banner strung over the front door that read "King Alfred's Homeless Shelter Fundraiser" with Spades flags flanking it. Music could be heard from outside and some guests dressed in fine attire were walking up the walkway into the center. And then there was Alfred with his pasta bowl.

At the entrance was Arthur's secretary. She greeted everyone with a smile and asked for their names while she checked them off a list. Upon seeing Alfred, she curtseyed and then spotted the pasta bowl. For a moment, she looked unsure of how to react; frown or continue to smile?

"Your Majesty, would you like me to take that?" she offered.

Alfred smiled gratefully and handed it over. "Thank you."

"Sir Kirkland is waiting for you inside," she said, curtseying once more as Alfred headed in.

Once inside, Alfred was stunned by the blue and purple streamers strung across the ceiling, the blue and golden curtains covering the normally white walls, and the amount of guests that actually managed to squeeze into the small center. Many mingled around the buffet table and small wine fountain, while others danced to the band playing classical music.

An announcer declared Alfred's arrival, effectively stopping the band and causing everyone to silence and turn to regard their King. Everyone bowed before giving all of their attention to the man. Alfred felt compelled to say something with so many eyes staring at him.

"I would like to thank all of you for coming to this charity event," he started, grateful that he didn't sound like an idiot yet. "While you spend your time here, I hope you can find a moment to donate for the much needed homeless shelter. With your help we can bring relief to the Blue Area."

The crowd applauded politely. Alfred's cheeks heated up. It was invigorating to see people here and to have command of their attention. Unlike the parties Yao organized where Alfred attended out of obligation and was just a figurehead, here made him feel he was actually a King and people wanted to see him, not the crown, and not Yao.

"Also, please give thanks to the Duke of Blue, Arthur Kirkland, for organizing all of this. For that, I and all of Spades are grateful for all of his help."

The crowd turned to applaud the Duke. Alfred looked too, happy he wouldn't have to search for him all night. Arthur was hovering on the edge of the dance floor holding a wine glass. He nodded to everyone with a wide smile. Even from afar, Alfred could see the intense light in his eyes.

"Now, please enjoy yourselves," Alfred finished.

The music started back up again, and as if the guests were wind-up dolls, they returned to mingling and dancing. Alfred made his way slowly through the crowd towards Arthur as if the Duke were a magnet. While he didn't mind thanking everyone he saw, he felt it was an agonizing process. Many wanted to strike up a conversation with him about what a fantastic impact it would have on the community and how much safer it would be for those living in the Blue Area. Alfred listened to a few and remembered some key points a few of the guests had made, but for the most part he could have cared less. His intention right now was to see Arthur.

He felt a bump in his back and turned sharply. "Oh! Arthur!"

"Ah, Your Majesty." Arthur smiled. Alfred noticed how his eyes looked that night. "I had been looking for you. I heard you…brought pasta?"

"Yeah, um, so this place looks great!" Alfred held his hands up to indicate the ceiling. "And those curtains! Sick!"

Some color came to Arthur's usually pale face, capturing Alfred's attention instantly. "Thank you, Sire, but none of this would be possible if it wasn't for you. Please, give yourself some credit."

"No way. If it wasn't for you, I'd have never gotten my ass in gear and done something."

Again, Alfred saw when Arthur's eyes flittered away and he sipped his wine hurriedly. He knew he should move on and talk to the other guests to thank them for their time, or even get over towards the food, but if it meant moving away from Arthur, he'd rather not.

"Say, um, what do you wanna do once this is over?" Alfred asked casually. His heart was beating in his chest. He looked at the dance floor to distract himself from noticing that.

"You mean after the fundraiser? I wager a nice, long bath and some tea would make the night perfect."

Alfred laughed. "No, I meant, are we still gonna hang out?"

"Hang…out?" Arthur looked at Alfred quizzically. "Do you have more things planned?"

"Well! I mean, you know, as friends."

Arthur opened his mouth to say something, when there was a rush of people wanting to speak to them both. The moment was over and the issue dropped, for when the two saw each other again later that night it was too long after Alfred had initially asked.

Alfred was a master at showing people what they wanted to see. He was to be the brilliant host and the kind King, then he would, but in truth all he wanted was to be alone. He felt the urge rising to go home and climb into bed and be lazy. His "allergy" to society began to take him over. He started to feel anxiety at being surrounded by so many people, and the need to resort to his familiar settings overtook his emotions. He waved people off, claiming he was tired, and found a nice space in the back to eat some food and take a few moments to breathe.

He knew people thought it weird, and Yao always told him not to let it get to him. He always had it under control at Yao's parties, but mainly because he wasn't always talking to people and Yao often checked up on him. Here, he was alone, save for Arthur, but the Duke was too busy to constantly be by his side. It made him a little sick.

"Sire?" It was Arthur. He looked concerned. "Are you all right? You look a bit pale."

"I think I'm just hungry," Alfred replied. He shoved a triangle-shaped sandwich in his mouth.

Arthur nodded, and then sat beside him. They were quiet, allowing Alfred some time to eat. Arthur just watched the event and people dancing, and took a few sips from his wine he was still carrying. Alfred wanted to ask him about his "hanging out" question again, but thought it would be too inappropriate. The man was important and had too much to do. He couldn't be a friend of the King. No one had time for him.

"Um, Your Majesty?" Arthur started. Alfred looked over. "About what you said before…the 'hanging out' and all… I would very much like to see you again."

Thousands of people could come running up to Alfred asking him for questions or photos or what he planned to do next, and he would ignore them all, if only to capture that moment.

* * *

_Hoshiko2_'s cents: SO SORRY FOR THE SLOW UPDATE! My baseball team was in the World Series and I was watching a game every night, and I cannot write and watch baseball. It's…bad. Luckily (or unluckily for me), hockey has been cancelled so I can't get distracted by that. However, the American elections just…UGH and I was, yeah.

BUT IT'S HERE NOW! Thank you for waiting! I will go back to timely updates! Hoyle will be updated soon!


	4. Part 4

Alfred couldn't say he knew the rules of friendship. There was no handbook, or guide, or even a pamphlet that could explain exactly what to do and how to do it, so when he wanted to call Arthur every day, he wasn't sure if it was bothering him. He knew the Duke was busy, as was often the case with anyone who worked in politics, but Alfred was lonely and bored. Arthur was his only friend.

After the fundraiser, Arthur had promised they would see each other again, but he never said when. Phone calls could only go so far. Alfred was left wondering if a Duke ever had a day off, and if so, would he want to spend it with a King?

The aching was posing a true problem the longer Alfred lingered on it. He grew tired of his games and couldn't focus on any of the movies he watched. None of it was fun unless he had someone there with him to share it with. He never thought it was strange he had changed so suddenly or why it had happened, but rather focused on the fact he had _someone_ in his life who liked him despite all of the bad qualities he so often thought about himself.

Arthur, on the other hand, Alfred thought had none. He was a kind and compassionate man who might look funny to others, but was starting to develop into someone beautiful in Alfred's eyes. The King wanted to be strong like him, caring and giving like him, and influential like him. He itched to learn more from the Duke, always thinking it was never enough. Just one more hour, one minute longer and he could become a better King- a better person.

One day, a week after the fundraiser, Alfred called Arthur.

"Hi!" Alfred said happily. "You're not busy are you?"

"Ah, not at the moment, no, Your Majesty." Arthur sometimes slipped back into his old habits of addressing Alfred. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Um… Can we hangout some time?" There was a pause on the other end. Alfred leaned forward anxiously. "Arthur?"

"Yes, sorry, I'm here. I just… I thought…"

"You thought what? That I was kidding or something?"

"…Yes."

Alfred frowned. "But, you promised me, and I've called you, like, every day. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"Forgive me, Your Majesty-"

"Alfred," the King said curtly.

"-Alfred, it's just… Well, I've never had a friend before."

"What do you mean…?" Alfred asked slowly.

"Well, Alfred… You seem to be the only person in this world who seems to generally like me. Even at work, I know that the other Dukes and Duchesses and Lords and Ladies I have to work with are just polite because they have to be. Everyone has a face they must keep on. Forgive me for assuming the same from you…"

Something began to grow in Alfred that day. He clung to it for warmth and light and happiness. It wasn't the best idea, but if he thought too hard on it, he might have just realized that that was the day he started to fall in love.

* * *

Arthur came over to the palace on the day he was free, just as Alfred had asked. His heart pounded in his ears as he approached the steps. The guards at the front were expecting him, so they let him pass without any trouble. The front entrance was a glorious royal blue with a golden archway, and above it was a mural depicting the foundation of Spades. Arthur knew it all well, but he was enamored with the artwork.

"Hey, Arthur!" Said man turned suddenly and saw the King rushing up to him while waving and smiling widely. "Glad you could make it!"

"Oh." Arthur bowed quickly. "Your Majesty, it's always a pleasure to see you again."

Alfred waved him off. "None of these formalities. Come on, we're pals, right?"

Arthur smiled kindly. "You are most kind, Alfred."

Alfred waved for Arthur to follow him, and soon he was giving the Duke the grand out of the palace. He had never had the chance as a young boy to do so with any friends, and while he spent so many days cooped up inside, he was actually extremely proud of his home. He explained the history of certain rooms, stopping to point out what was original and what was reconstructed and/or renovated after the palace had been attacked during a short skirmish with Clubs.

"The four kingdoms have been at peace for generations, yes?" Arthur asked. Alfred nodded. "It's amazing."

"I hear the Thirteenth or Twelfth Reign or something did some huge treaty." Alfred shrugged. "It's so old that most people don't know anything before the Sixteenth Reign, and anything after up until four generations ago is hard to read about. There's so much!"

"You mean you don't know the history of your own family?" Arthur asked curiously.

"Do you?" When Arthur didn't reply right away, Alfred laughed. He enjoyed seeing Arthur's face get so red when he was embarrassed. "Hey! I still have to show you my favorite room! Come with me!"

Arthur was amazed by Alfred's sheer innocence, although, glancing around he could see why the King was still such a boy despite his age. He had been walled in by these marble towers and kept safe by the Jack. There was no way he could be expected to rule, not when he was never shown how to even act like a man his age. And yet, Arthur didn't care.

He liked how Alfred smiled so earnestly and did his best. At the fundraiser, it was obvious that the King was suffering from social anxiety given how little interaction he had had with people for such a length of time. Upon their first meeting, Arthur knew that once he had upset Alfred, the Jack whisked him away to recuperate. A King should never show such weakness, even if he thinks he is a nobody in the world.

It hurt to think of life that way, but Arthur knew exactly where he was coming from.

"Here it is!" Alfred declared happily. He waved his hand at an ornate door, but then again, all the doors in this palace were ornate. "This here is my game room!"

"Game room?" Arthur repeated. Alfred nodded at him to open the door. "Do you spend your time here?"

"Oh yeah."

Arthur opened the doors and was shocked to find the massive television screen and pool table. He stepped inside hesitantly, looking at everything slowly to take it all in. He could feel Alfred following behind him, until the King moved over towards a door on the far back wall.

"In here is my bowling alley and arcade." He pointed at another door. "And in there is the theater. We're gonna put laser tag in eventually."

"Why…?" Arthur whispered.

"Well, because I like it," Alfred replied with a laugh.

"No, I mean…" Arthur looked at Alfred. He wasn't smiling. "Why would you put so much in here?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're hiding so much of yourself and putting all of this to stay inside. Do you…really hate the outside world that much?"

Alfred was silent for a moment as he stared at Arthur. It was impossible to figure out what the King was thinking. He looked to the side and squeezed his fists twice before looking back at Arthur.

"Yes," he replied after a time. "I do."

Arthur didn't know what to say to that. He stood there, trying to think of what he could do, but nothing came to him. Then, Alfred took a seat in one of the large beanbag chairs.

"Wanna play a game with me?"

It was the least Arthur could do. He had been invited over to Alfred's palace, and he had just put the King in an uncomfortable situation. That didn't mean he'd let the boy win.

"No way! That's cheating!" Alfred cried, shaking his controller at Arthur in frustration. They had been playing the same melee fighting game for the past two hours, and Arthur had won the majority of the time. "How are you so good?! I thought you were too rich and…and… _Dukely_ to do these kinds of things."

Arthur scoffed at the King's choice of words. "Please, Alfred. I was once a teenager too, you know."

"Well, sure, but didn't you have duties?"

Arthur regarded Alfred with a smile still in place, but he said nothing. He got up, stretching his back and rotating his neck. The sunlight caught his eye. He moved to the window that overlooked the gardens.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" he suggested. "I'm afraid I'm not up to constant video game playing like you are."

Alfred stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Ew, the outside world."

"Oh please." Arthur rolled his eyes. He was heading towards the door knowing full well Alfred would follow him. He had already turned off the gaming console. "An hour or two outside won't kill you."

"It just might," Alfred grumbled. Still, he was walking briskly by Arthur's side. "I hope I don't get hit by a bus."

"Alfred!" Arthur laughed loudly. He quickly covered his mouth. The King smirked at seeing this. "We're going out into the _gardens_. There are no buses!"

"You don't know that! What if there are?"

"Oh shush you!"

Their laughter rang through the halls, but Arthur didn't know that it had been the first time in years since these walls had heard Alfred's laugh.

The palace gardens were a lovely sight to behold, much more so than anything inside, Arthur thought. He had heard rumor that once, long ago, there was a secret part of the garden, but it was probably destroyed during the war with Clubs. That part had been a romantic centerpiece to the royal family for generations. In its stead, a magnificent maze had been grown by way of large hedges.

"To be honest, I never went inside the maze when I was a kid," Alfred said as he eyed the entryway cautiously. "Matt and I used to think they were too scary."

Arthur smiled at Alfred. "That's the first time you've mentioned your brother to me."

Alfred blushed and then looked down at his feet. His eyes seemed sad and far away. "Yeah… Well… Come on, are we going in or what?"

"I'd like to find this so-called secret garden."

"Oh, that's at the end of the maze," Alfred replied casually. "My mom and dad would go there a lot when I was a kid. Looking back on it now, it was probably to have sex, since I hear many of my ancestors did that. Hell, I could have been conceived back there."

"A-Alfred!" Arthur stuttered. Alfred grinned cheekily at his reaction.

"What? You don't like talking about sex and things like that?"

"I-it's not that. I just don't want you getting any ideas."

Alfred looked at Arthur blankly for a moment before he broke out into a fit of laughter. He held his sides as he doubled over, laughing until he couldn't breathe. Arthur watched him, but didn't think it was quite so funny.

"Ah, sorry. I didn't know the very idea of being so intimate with me was something that repulsed you so much." Arthur looked away as if he were annoyed.

"Come on, let's go in." Alfred took Arthur's wrist and led him inside.

The surrounding noise from the palace and the distant city was instantly silenced by the overbearing hedges. It was unnerving at first, being consumed by the quiet that was forever just out of reach, but then Arthur welcomed it. He sighed as his entire body relaxed. Even with his eyes closed he could feel Alfred's eyes on him, and imagined the King smiling fondly.

"Catch me if you can!" he suddenly exclaimed.

Arthur's eyes snapped back open. He watched Alfred running down the maze and turning sharply to the left. Arthur laughed and thought to give chase. It was good to see the King was actually running and not sitting.

The idea fell flat after twenty minutes when Arthur was utterly lost and sweating. The maze didn't give much room for a sweet respite of a breeze. He heard a rustle behind him and turned, hoping to catch just a glimmer of Alfred escaping, but it was just the hedge swaying overhead.

"Oh sure, the tops of these bloody plants get the wind, but I don't," Arthur grumbled.

"You give up?!" Alfred's voice seemed to echo all about him. Arthur turned every which way, but couldn't pinpoint the direction in which the King might be at.

"When I said let's go outside, I didn't mean for us to play another game!" Arthur shouted back.

"Aw, c'mon. What's the fun in hanging out if we don't play?!"

Nevertheless, Alfred emerged from seemingly nowhere. He wasn't sweating and that same cheeky smile was still there. Arthur wanted to reach over and punch him in the face.

"Had your fun?" Arthur huffed.

Alfred chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. If you follow me this way there's a 'checkpoint'."

"For someone who never went in here as a kid, you sure seem to know your way around."

Alfred smirked. "Ah, but I never said anything about going in when I was older."

"You!"

Alfred laughed and began walking away. Arthur hurriedly caught up to him lest he lose him again. He did not want to spend another moment in this heat trap.

It was only a few moments later that the duo came upon an opening in the maze where white stairs lead up to a brilliantly white gazebo. Arthur practically ran up the stairway, reveling in the breeze that greeted him. Alfred was just behind him and still laughing. It then occurred to Arthur that this was the most he'd heard the King laugh since they had known each other. Granted it wasn't very long, but they had spent a considerable amount of time planning for the fundraiser and had to see each other quite often. During those times Alfred seemed engrossed in every detail, wanting to make sure it was just right, and hardly breaking for a joke or a laugh.

There were lounge chairs and a lovely view of the entire maze. Arthur squinted in hopes of seeing that secret garden, but it was just out of sight. He fell onto the lounge chair with a loud sigh.

"Tired?" Alfred asked, taking up a spot on the other chair.

"Yes."

"And you get out more than me," Alfred teased.

Arthur chose not to reply to that. He lay there thinking hard about everything that had been whirling in his head for days. It was just them now. Perhaps he could finally…

"Alfred," he started with his head pounding in his head. "Earlier you asked why I'm good at playing video games and I want to tell you."

"Lemme guess, you used to be a hermit too." Alfred forced out a laugh at the idea.

"Not…exactly…" Arthur opened his eyes to look up at the gazebo ceiling. It was painted with blue and red roses intermingling with purple Spades. "I… My mother left me father and I when I was six. I hardly remember her, but I blamed myself for a lot of it. And when she left, she took my brothers with her."

"You have brothers?" Alfred asked quietly.

"Yes, three older brothers. But with her taking them and divorcing my father, all of the duties of being the next Duke fell to me. I was angry with her, with my dad, and with me. I questioned why I was born. It went on for years. At first I was a hermit like you, closing myself to everyone and staying inside to play games or read whatever I wanted, but when I became a teenager, well… I practically ran away from home. I wanted nothing to do with my father or the title of Duke of Blue. I thought that if I wasn't physically there I could stay young forever and never have to become anyone of responsibility. But…"

Arthur inhaled slowly at the memory. He recalled all of the smells of that day, the exact look those children gave him.

"One day when I was out…mucking around with friends, I wandered into a rather poor area of Spades. I saw these children who had nothing watching me, wanting to be like me. They didn't know who I was or that I had run away from duties, all they knew was that I had a home…I had a family, even if it was fractured… and I had power. It was that day that I went home, cleaned myself up, and threw myself into my duties, if only to help people that cannot help themselves. Even if it's just passing on encouraging words to the King, I hope to do something with the power I was given."

Arthur sat up and turned to regard Alfred. The King was looking at him, listening intently. "That is why I said those things to you at the ball when we met. That's why I continue to say them. Because I have been where you are right now, in a depression that kept me from my potential, thinking I shouldn't be here and that I can hide from it all. But… We both have power and the ability to do things others cannot do. It is why we were born… Why you lived that day."

Alfred was quiet at that. He didn't seem upset, but he certainly wasn't happy either. He just continued to stare at Arthur. The wind blew over the tops of the hedges, allowing some sort of noise to interrupt their solitude.

"I was sick…," Alfred started. His voice sounded strained, but he didn't falter in his words. "My parents wanted to go out with Mattie, and I wanted to come too, but I was sick. It was raining, so they said they wouldn't be gone long. I told them I'd wait up until they came home. My mom tried to get me to sleep, but I wanted them to stay with me… Yao came in and told me…"

Arthur held his breath when Alfred paused. He was waiting for that moment when perhaps Alfred would finally break. While he wished desperately to not see the King become so upset, he knew this was a needed release. For all he knew, the man had never told anyone about this part of his life and he had been waiting for this exact moment.

"I didn't understand him," Alfred continued. "I couldn't quite get how one minute my family could be alive and the next they couldn't. My servants and Yao all fell to one knee and declared their loyalty to me as the new king, but I didn't understand. At the funeral I didn't cry. Everyone thinks I was so brave or whatever, but I wasn't. I was confused.

"It was like that as I grew up. I was confused as to why Yao took so much power away from me. I know my dad wasn't exactly the focal figure in politics, but at least I knew he had the final say in all laws. But the older I got, the more Yao shielded me from everything. He said it would be all right and that I'd understand someday, but I don't think he meant that my conclusion was to come to the fact that I realized I was useless. That was what I had been raised to feel; useless in being able to stop my family from dying, useless in understanding any of it, useless in doing anything, and useless in standing up. I feel like I'm still sick and I'm just waiting for them to come home."

Arthur moved to sit beside Alfred. The King hadn't become emotional, but Arthur had. He wanted to put his hand on Alfred's, put an arm around his shoulder, and promise him something else that Yao couldn't say.

"You will be great," he murmured.

Alfred was still staring at where Arthur had been sitting. His face was practically emotionless, had it not been for the slight misting of his eyes.

"Arthur… why do you say those things to me?" he whispered. "You…you make me crazy…"

Arthur couldn't help the desire to smile. He rubbed small circles on Alfred's hand as he interlaced their fingers. "Perhaps because the things you say to me make me crazy…"

Alfred turned his head, and then kissed Arthur.

* * *

_Hoshiko2_'s cents: Switched to Arthur's POV this chapter.

Sorry this took so long. I had a minor setback due to going back to school and then getting sick and…well, holidays coming up as they are and I work at a toy store. Not fun.

Anyway, if anyone wants to ask why they got together so quickly, I can explain: because this story is not about them getting together, it's about them staying together. That will become clearer as the story progresses. I will have the next chapter up faster, I promise. And expect ratings to go up eventually. ;3


	5. Part 5

Alfred was walking out of the maze feeling different than before. It wasn't a bad different in the slightest. The colors around him were brighter and the smells of the gardens had intensified. The greens of the ivy walls of the maze were overwhelming, like Arthur's eyes, and the distant smell of roses now seemed closer, like Arthur's own scent. Everything was beautiful and reminded him of Arthur, of their time in the maze and that kiss, and then the one after that sealed their mutual affections. It was nothing short of riveting.

Before they left the maze together to re-enter the real world, Arthur pulled Alfred back and out of sight. He cupped his face and kissed him on the lips. Alfred's hands settled on Arthur's shoulder as he kissed him back. It felt too close to a good-bye kiss.

"We will keep this a secret affair?" Arthur asked breathlessly. He ran a hand through Alfred's hair, smiling up at him with those bright, affectionate eyes.

Alfred nodded. "Yeah… But…can we still see each other?"

"Yes, of course. Just call on me and I shall come to see you."

Alfred brightened considerably. "Good. I thought this was…"

"Hush now." Arthur smiled in a relaxed way Alfred realized he had never seen before. "Shall we go?"

There was a part of Alfred, a young, childish, clingy side that said no, that wanted to hold Arthur until the next day and possibly longer so that he wouldn't feel alone, even if it meant staying outside in the cold all the while. But he learned at a very young age how to let go, even if it was with a promise of a future meeting.

"Okay…" Alfred managed a smile and released Arthur. He followed him back out to the world, facing it with a renewed strength he hadn't felt in years.

It felt like self-esteem.

* * *

"Sir, does the King seem different to you?" Yao's servant asked him.

Yao, having been looking down at some papers, turned to look at Alfred down the opposite end of the hall. He was on his cell phone and chatting casually with someone on the other end. He was laughing. Yao realized he didn't like that all that much.

"Yes… Who is he so friendly with?" Yao asked.

"The Duke of Blue. There are pictures of them everywhere in the tabloids," the servant said. "Rumor has it that…"

"That what?" Yao asked sharply. He shoved the papers in the servant's chest when the servant only smiled in reply. Then, he marched over to Alfred. "Um, Sire?"

Alfred held up a finger to Yao. "No way! That didn't happen! You're lying! YOU'RE LYING! HAHA!"

Yao cleared his throat, but Alfred was laughing too loudly to notice him. The Jack felt foolish standing there with his arms dangling by his sides and the King paying him no attention. Slowly, he became annoyed with waiting.

"Alfred," Yao stressed. The King smiled at him and then nodded.

"Okay, I'll call you late. 'Bye Artie. Haha! I'm gonna still call you Artie even if you yell at me."

"Alfred!" Yao snapped. Alfred instantly hung up the phone, but smiled innocently. The Jack sighed, and then composed himself. "I was thinking that you could sit in on a Parliament meeting with me today."

Alfred's smile vanished, replaced with a look of shock and awe. "You… you mean it? Like… I really get to _do_ something?"

Yao nodded. "I would listen to your advice if you had an opinion on a matter. I see you've been taking care to be involved recently, so we should let such thoughts be nurtured."

Alfred's face brightened more than Yao had ever seen. More than that Duke could do, Yao thought confidently. He smirked as he mentally congratulated himself. The King began to chatter constantly about the ideas he had for the kingdom, some of which Yao was amazed he had even considered, but agreed he would look into for everyone's sake.

* * *

The Duke of Blue was called to the Clock Room to meet with the Jack. He was anxious as to what the Jack could possibly want to discuss with him. Perhaps it was to approve certain requests regarding the Blue Area. He had been having frequent chats with Lord Blue and he had passed along everything to Parliament if he deemed it important enough to talk about. Arthur really hoped this was concerning that.

The Jack was standing by the window when Arthur was admitted into his office. It had a definite Oriental feel to the room with a crisp, sleek lines and simplistic design to the wooden furniture and open shelves. A long golden Chinese dragon was hanging on the wall directly behind Yao's desk and ornate drawings were carved into the legs of his desk. The Duke was highly impressed, but expected no less from such a powerful man.

"Please, sit," Yao said. The Duke did as he was told. Yao stayed by the window a moment longer, looking over some papers, before he moved to stand behind his desk chair. He stared down at Arthur seriously. "You seem to have gotten very close with the King as of late."

"Yes, the King and I have quite a lot in common," Arthur said. There was a hint of a smile in his eyes. Yao didn't like that.

His fingers twitched as he moved around the chair and picked an envelope up from his desk. "It seems the King feels differently."

Arthur quirked an eyebrow as he was handed the envelope. He opened it and found a letter inside. Yao watched him as he mentally reread the message.

_Arthur,_

_In these past few weeks we have grown close, and I thought it was fun, but I can't lie to myself anymore. I was only pretending. I'm over your selfish and bossy attitude. Everything I said was a lie. I guess it was to get a rise out of you or something, but I'm bored with you now. I don't even want to see you again._

_King Alfred_

Arthur didn't react right away. He continued to stare at the letter. Yao noticed the Duke's hands had begun to shake.

"Is…is this from the King himself?" Arthur asked slowly. "Why didn't he send this to me directly?"

"I'm not sure," Yao replied. "But, yes, that is from the King himself. He gave that to me this morning while we had breakfast together."

Arthur looked up at Yao with suspicious eyes. He folded the letter back up and then stood. Yao hid his surprise at the Duke's abrupt movement. There was something hidden in the man's eyes, almost as if he were reigning in all of his emotions just to keep up the façade that he was fine. Yao felt quite sure of himself then.

It was only a few moments later that the Duke asked to leave, of which the Jack granted it, and then he watched from the window as Arthur got back into his car hurriedly. He could only imagine that Arthur was perhaps crying in pain or wallowing in his own misery. It tasted so sweet. Yao was known around Parliament for being quite vicious in politics and was never one to hold back when he wasn't particularly fond of a person. There had been rumors that he had ruined some people's time in Parliament, but Yao made sure those had stayed rumors.

Later that day, Yao walked down the hallway to the King's game room. Even before he reached the door he knew Alfred was inside. He could hear him yelling and screaming in joy at beating whatever foe he was facing. It sounded as if he were talking to someone; most likely the Queen of Hearts.

The Jack came into the room, pleased to see Alfred being just as he always had been. The man never truly grew up, and he was still the same little boy that clung to Yao's pants with imploring eyes to play. Yao felt a pang of regret that he hadn't paid Alfred more attention, hadn't held him tightly enough to shield him from all of that pain when his parents were killed, hadn't cherished more of their time together. Now he was older and craving someone else's attention. Yao knew what would happen if someone came between them.

They would leave Alfred. They'd hurt him. He'd cry alone again, and become numb to the world. The only reason he even showed his face outside of the palace was because of Yao. Yao who had taught the man to stand up again, to walk and breath, to remember that the world wasn't always full of sadness. Alfred always forgot that. He never saw Yao as anything more than a friend. He would never consider Yao as his savior or someone he'd look to for comfort should someone leave him again.

Yao was never to be that person, so he'd work to be someone else; a savior.

"Alfred, I have a letter for you from the Duke of Blue."

Alfred jumped up from his seat. "Hold up a sec, Kiku. I got a letter."

The King joined Yao by the pool table. He was drinking a soda, but put it down to take the letter. Yao moved away to give him some privacy. His letter was almost the same as Arthur's had been, only instead of selfish and rude he had been called immature and stupid. Yao wanted to feel bad for writing such words, but he couldn't help but feel that way about Alfred sometimes.

This time, Alfred had a much more emotional reaction. He crumpled the letter and bit his lip until the skin broke. Yao moved over to comfort him, immediately regretting his decision to play such a game, but Alfred moved away. It was Yao's worst nightmare coming alive. He wasn't needed anymore.

"Who does he think he is…?" Alfred whispered. He began to cry, and then pulled Yao close.

Yao was safe. He was still needed.

* * *

Arthur sat at his desk reading all of the papers. He had been driven from Court and the short-lived friendship between the King and the Duke was over. The media was all up in arms about the ordeal. Many people had theories, but no one knew for sure. No one save for the Duke himself. He still held onto that letter and thought over every line that was written in there.

He questioned all of it. Arthur was not a stupid man. He already had an inkling of a doubt that it was all a ruse, that possibly Yao had played him for a fool, but if that were true then why hadn't Alfred contacted him? If it was simply a lie Yao had created by this empty message then surely Alfred would have wanted to see him too, but for two weeks now the King had remained silent. Arthur thought that perhaps he should try calling first, but if Alfred didn't answer it would only create more of a torrent of suspicion within him.

There came a knock at the door. Arthur hid the letter in a drawer and said, "Come in."

His secretary walked in. She smiled at Arthur, but saw he did not return it. This wasn't unusual, but at least Arthur greeted her.

"Sir, um, if I may, might I tell you something I overheard?" the secretary asked.

Arthur sighed. "Victoria, I hardly have time for gossip."

"It is about something the Jack said to his servant." Arthur's eyes flashed to her, and Victoria felt it safe to continue. "The Jack was heard thanking his servant for writing a letter to the King, but to…next time not to make it so harsh. He specifically said, 'that man is horrible, but that might have been almost too much. We're lucky he didn't suspect anything'."

Arthur scoffed at this. "Victoria, you are a kind woman, but I hardly doubt the Jack was heard saying that. He wouldn't be so careless. I know you're just as suspicious of this as me, but I cannot charge up to the King without indisputable proof."

"Why would you charge him?" the secretary asked.

"I… Well if you are wrong and I go to the King with this information, he might become offended I had gone against what he had said." Arthur looked out the window at the trees. He thought back to the gardens and the last time he had gone with Alfred. They had kissed and held each other, held hands and enjoyed the sun warming their skin, filling with the scent of roses and late summer.

"Sir… Do you know the King still doesn't read the papers?" Victoria pressed. "Maybe he doesn't know what's being said about all of this. Maybe he received a different letter."

"A different letter?" Arthur looked over at her with his brow furrowed. "Where did you come up with such a mad idea?"

Victoria produced a crumpled piece of paper and put it on Arthur's desk. "The Jack's servant found it and wanted it delivered immediately. And he wanted you to know the King stopped reading papers ever since you left."

Arthur stared at the letter. Somehow he knew what it said without having to actually read it.

The Duke liked to think of himself as someone with more class than most. He wasn't one to publicly hold a grudge and he never seemed to go out of his way to cause any sort of pain. So, when he confronted Alfred about this letter mishap, he never mentioned that it was from Yao. He never expressed his fears as to what the Jack could possibly be scheming. Instead, he took Alfred out for a walk in the gardens as they always had and made sure to keep him in the maze until well past dinner.

He knew that the Jack was fuming with rage and jealousy that Arthur had him here in his arms and was kissing him, holding him, treating him in a way that Yao never could do. Alfred wouldn't let him. There was no romance for him in his old friend. The sooner he stopped trying to reach that goal, the better, Arthur thought.

So instead of getting revenge or getting even with him, he would pretend that nothing happened and celebrate in the glory of Alfred.

That was the day Yao declared war on Arthur.

* * *

_Hoshiko2_'s cents: Short chapter that I'm not entirely proud of, but it's a good start for what is to come next. G&B will update once more before Hoyle has a huge update. The next update for G&B will be short as well, whereas Hoyle will be a very long chapter. I hope to see you all there.


	6. Part 6

_A/N_: Please note that the M-rating will come into effect starting this chapter. Thank you.

* * *

They got into a fight. Alfred was careless with his words and he didn't even remember what it was that set Arthur off, but suddenly the Duke was angry with him. They were in Alfred's game room and had finished playing some games when it happened. It started as a low boil and then exploded, poisoning the air and suffocating Alfred in a way he wasn't familiar with. The last time he had had any sort of fight was with his brother, when he was four.

Arthur hadn't left, though. He remained, busying himself with a game of solo pool. Alfred brewed in his thoughts with a video game, particularly one where there was a lot of fighting. He couldn't understand how he was in the wrong about all of this. He tried to even recall what had set Arthur off.

"Game Over" flashed on the screen when Alfred lost again, as he had many times through-out this cold stand-off between him and Arthur. It was ruining his concentration. He ran a hand through his hair and growled angrily.

"Okay!" he shouted, startling Arthur. "What the hell did I do wrong?!"

"You opened your mouth," Arthur replied blankly.

"What does that even _mean_?!" Alfred got up out of his beanbag chair, but lost his balance and fell right back into it.

Arthur watched as the King struggled to get out of his chair with little luck. The man was far too frustrated to think clearly, and now he was just flailing his arms, punching the beanbag, hoping to get out. Arthur started laughing at the strange show.

"Alfred, calm down," he said. "Think clearly and then get up."

"I can't!" Alfred threw his hands in the air. He then decided to slide to the floor, but his shirt rode up, revealing his belly. He looked down at it. "I'm so fat…"

Arthur clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth. "Do you always do that when you're upset?"

"Do what?" Alfred mumbled.

"Turn on yourself." Arthur came over and squatted down beside Alfred. "And no, you're not fat. A little flab here is fine."

Alfred pouted and pulled his shirt down quickly. "Whatever… You're mad at me and will probably leave and it's my fault and I don't even know why."

Arthur put a hand on Alfred's shoulder. "Look at me, Alfred."

"That's no way to talk to a King."

"I will address a King when I see one, but right now I see a petulant child."

That made Alfred scramble up. He towered over Arthur as he opened his mouth, ready for another fight, but Arthur was faster. "Stop right there! Listen to me!"

Alfred closed his mouth, his eyes wide at having Arthur yell at him.

"This is how adults fight," he started. "We do not throw tantrums and we don't write empty threat letters, nor do we listen to them with our heart. We talk it out."

"So…then what is there to talk about?"

"How you don't think before you open your mouth." Arthur crossed his arms and stared at Alfred with a tense stare. "You say things that hurt others because you don't consider our feelings. What you said about my eyebrows might be a trivial thing to you, but is something harmful to me. I was picked on incessantly for them when I was younger. It's painful to hear you say things so easily when you don't know or seem to care it hurts."

Alfred put a tentative hand on Arthur's shoulder. "N-no… That's not… I care about you so much…"

"And I you… You're more important to me than anyone ever has been." Arthur looked up at Alfred with wide, open eyes; vulnerable eyes. "I don't want you to hurt me."

"The last thing I want to do is hurt you. I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't know…"

Arthur nodded. He closed his eyes when Alfred kissed his forehead. "I know, dear. That's why I can forgive you so easily. But you must learn to understand these things about people, all right?"

"Okay, but… I can't change on your agenda. You know I have social issues and… I need time."

"You're right." Arthur kissed Alfred's forehead this time. "I'm sorry if I pushed you past your comfort zone."

Alfred chuckled, but then realized he and Arthur were close. Far closer than they had ever been. He thought back to when they first kissed a few weeks ago. They had shared a few tender kisses since then, held hands in private, and Alfred had even been bold enough to put his arm around Arthur's shoulder when they watched a movie the other night. However, this felt different. He felt closer to Arthur in a different sense of the word.

There was something new about Arthur, something that let him in deeper and he became entwined in the close proximity of their relationship growing. A surge of affection bubbled up in his chest. He leaned down and kissed Arthur on the lips. The duke kissed him back, and wrapped his arms around Alfred's neck. Alfred felt Arthur's tongue press against his lips, and he opened his mouth. It was a new experience, but he found that it was invigorating. He pushed back with his own, and pulled Arthur closer.

Arthur bit at Alfred's lower lip and pressed him back down onto the beanbag. Alfred wasn't sure where to put his hands, so he settled to keep them on his shoulders. Arthur brought a knee up to press between Alfred's legs where he pushed. Alfred moaned loudly, but he didn't stop. He couldn't. He wouldn't let himself stop when it felt so good. He opened his legs more and squirmed against that knee. He didn't know exactly how to have finesse in the situation, but if he kept kissing Arthur and letting him do whatever it was he wanted.

Arthur broke the kiss, but kept close to Alfred. His breath was hot against Alfred's skin. "You're so…beautiful…"

"I… what…?"

Arthur's hand snaked down to grab at Alfred's hardening cock through his pants. The King bucked up into his hand while his head fell back against the beanbag. Sucking in air through his teeth and clenching his eyes closed to the pleasure, he fell right into Arthur's hand. The Duke sucked on a spot under Alfred's collar as he unzipped his pants and pushed his hand underneath Alfred's underwear to palm his erection. Alfred moaned louder.

"A-Arthur…!"

"My King…," Arthur whispered hotly against Alfred's ear before taking the lobe between his teeth. "Oh, my King…"

Alfred shuddered as he released into Arthur's hand. Arthur milked him through his orgasm before he pulled his hand out. He reached for a nearby napkin leftover from lunch, and used it to clean his hand and Alfred. He sat up and pushed Alfred's shirt aside.

"You are beautiful…," he repeated.

Alfred was trying to control his breathing as he looked up at Arthur. He didn't say anything, deciding that he preferred to have Arthur look him over with a hungry look to his eyes. The Duke's hands trailed down over Alfred's sides, appreciating the feel of the King's muscles under his shirt. He pulled it up enough to size up the man underneath him.

"Ho…how am I beautiful…?" Alfred asked breathlessly. He twitched when Arthur pinched his nipples teasingly.

"That golden hair and those bright blue eyes…" Arthur ran a hand through Alfred's hair and then down across his cheek. "You have such a wonderful jawline… And look at those freckles and little indents from your glasses. And… then your chest…"

Alfred was flushed all down his neck and up his ears. He had to look away having never received such compliments. He nibbled on his lower lip as he mulled over his innocence. "That…was the first time I've ever…had anyone touch me, but it's…not for you, is it?"

Arthur hesitated, but continued to smile. "No. It's not. But, it's okay that you're still a virgin."

"You sure? I know people say that in movies and books, and secretly they really hate it, but-"

"But I am not like them," Arthur interrupted, putting a hand over Alfred's mouth. "Sex is just one part of our relationship. I did not kiss you that day and decide to secretly date you just so I can say I shagged the King of Spades."

Alfred cracked a smile that showed no hesitation or anxiety. Arthur removed his hand and pecked him on the lips. Alfred put a hand on the back Arthur's head and pushed it down under his chin.

"Can we just stay like this? For just a little while?"

Arthur breathed a short laugh. "Of course, my dear."

* * *

_Hoshiko2_'s cents: Rating will really go up next chapter. Just a forewarning. ;3


	7. Part 7

_A/N:_ Please note, this chapter has the M-rating in effect.

* * *

Yao was in his study when he heard his door open. He looked up from his paperwork, expecting his servant to bring him a drink or lunch, but was pleasantly surprised to see it was King Alfred instead. It was only a few months before he would be twenty, but there were times Yao still thought of him as a child. Perhaps he was getting old.

"Hello, Alfred," Yao said happily. "What can I do for you?"

"Hey dude." Yao raised an eyebrow at him, to which Alfred laughed nervously. "Sorry. Learnin' the lingo of the people. Um, hey, listen, you're a smart guy. A _really_ smart guy. Er, I was thinking, um, that you'd help me find a book."

Yao smiled and pushed aside his work. He stood up to move around the desk to stand before Alfred. "Of course. What are you looking for?"

"Um, well. The, uh, Kirkland family genealogy or what not?"

Yao's smile vanished instantly. He stared at Alfred, waiting for an explanation with a stern expression. Alfred had to look away as he laughed. Yao noticed how evasive his eyes were and when the King would rub the back of his neck.

"What for?" Yao asked.

Now, Alfred whirled back to Yao. He was smiling normally, but moved his hands too quickly to seem casual. "Well, see, the funny thing is, Arthur swears he has a cousin I might be interested in, you know? But, we don't know if he, er, or she are royalty. So, I was gonna look it up before I meet her."

Yao continued to stare at Alfred. The King must've known that the Jack didn't believe such an empty lie. But his smile and his bright eyes were so eager, so hopeful, that Yao felt compelled to humor him at least, if only to keep that man smiling just a little bit longer.

"Why don't I find it and then look through it for you?" Yao offered, smiling again. "You wouldn't know where to look to see if one was royalty anyway, so I will handle that for you."

Alfred perked up at this. "Really?! Wow, you're seriously the best! Thank you Yao!"

The Jack could only smile.

* * *

Alfred was humming as he strode back to his Gaming Room. He knew Arthur was there, waiting for him, and they would spend the day together. It was a rare occasion that the world didn't need to call upon the Duke. Alfred had already planned some fun activities for them to do together, and was eager to get started.

However, upon entering the room he was disheartened to see Arthur was on the phone with a few files open on the pool table. He was talking quickly with someone on the other end while he furiously made notes on the paper. Arthur managed to spare a glance and an apologetic smile before turning back to the phone.

Alfred growled in disappointment and strode to his gaming consoles. He might as well entertain himself somehow while he waited. While he messed around on a game he couldn't help but overhear Arthur's conversation.

"Yes… Yes, I am well aware of that, but…" Arthur sighed. Alfred noticed he sounded tired. He chewed on his lower lip. Maybe Arthur would rather be at home relaxing than staying here with him. "Look, I've got another call. Yes, I'll call you later. Good day."

Alfred listened for Arthur to answer his phone, but was surprised when two arms wrapped around him from behind. He paused his game and looked over his shoulder. Arthur was smiling as he pressed his face into Alfred's back.

"I thought you had another call," Alfred said.

"I did," Arthur replied. He lifted his head and closed in on Alfred. His eyes flickered to his lips. "It was to come over to my beloved."

Alfred grinned ridiculously wide before he pecked Arthur on the lips. "Awww, thanks! It's the best call ever!"

Arthur moved to sit in the beanbag next to Alfred. His hands slid from around Alfred to just take hold of his hand. "So, did you get the information?"

"For what?"

"For my heritage? We're trying to see if I'm royalty, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Duh, I knew that." Alfred laughed. "Well, I ran into Yao and asked him for help- don't worry, I didn't say it was for you or anything- and he said he'd find it and look everything up for me."

Arthur's face fell. "What? Alfred, I can't believe you would do such a thing."

"What? What's wrong?"

Arthur dropped Alfred's hand to rub at the bridge of his nose. He looked even more tired. Alfred's heart sank. "You truly don't understand anything, do you…?"

"I wish you'd stop saying that kind of stuff," Alfred grumbled. "I thought it would be helpful. Yao's right, I wouldn't know where to start or what to look for."

"But I do." Arthur got up to walk towards a far window. "Oh Alfred, I wish you'd think for once."

Alfred jumped up, his controller clattering to the floor. "Stop saying that! I did think! I thought I was doing the right thing!" Arthur turned. He didn't seem defensive or upset, but he certainly wasn't happy. Alfred hated seeing that look. "Go home if I give you such a headache. I bet you'd be happier there."

Arthur rolled his eyes and walked back to Alfred. "Oh, calm down. Don't throw such a tantrum."

"I'm not!"

Arthur smirked as he crossed his arms. "Stop, Alfred, just. I'm sorry, all right? I didn't mean to upset you."

"You're busy. I get it. Staying here is only making you more tired."

"No wait just a moment." Now Arthur looked upset. "Where ever did you get that notion? I have not said I am busy and I certainly never said I was tired."

"I can tell by the look on your face," Alfred said as he gestured at Arthur. "You look exhausted."

"Well, I _do_ work hard, but I assure you this has nothing to do with you. And I would much rather be here with you than home where I'd probably be too tired to sleep." Alfred didn't seem convinced. Arthur closed in on Alfred, putting his hands on the King's cheeks. "Alfred, my King, I came here today to be with you. I figured you would be longer looking for my lineage, otherwise you would have never seen me on the phone. I want to stay here, okay? Now, didn't you say over the phone that you had plans for us today?"

Alfred nodded. He felt his worries dissipate the longer Arthur looked at him. Then, he cracked a smile. "Okay, okay. Let's go outside, all right? I wanna take you somewhere."

* * *

Arthur had never seen such pure red before. He had seen roses, but not to the point it painted the world in their beautiful crimson. The flowers grew taller than he and Alfred. The wind wafted through their stalks, making them bend slightly and a few petals drift down to the grass. A tall, tree stood tall over all of the roses and was surrounded by tall bushes up on a hill. Arthur was drawn into the royal secret garden behind the labyrinth. This world was known as a myth to the others, and yet here Arthur was, taken here by his lover.

The couple made their way through the roses, stopping to admire them, before making their way to the tree. They enjoyed the shade, relief from the early summer heat. Alfred lay on his back, head in Arthur's lap. He watched as the sunlight filtered down through the leaves. Arthur watched him with a lazy smile while his fingers carded through the king's hair.

"Did you know this palace wasn't the original site for the Royal Family?" Alfred asked suddenly. Arthur shook his head. "Yeah, it became the main palace after they cleaned it up some. It used to be a castle, which is slightly different, but you get it. I guess one of the Families loved it too much to want to constantly go back to the original palace."

"I'd love to see the original site," Arthur mused.

Alfred nodded. "Yeah, it's old and crumbled, but you can tell it used to be something amazing. Something perfect." Alfred's eyes flickered to Arthur's face. "You're perfect, you know that."

"Oh, no I am not." Arthur blushed despite his denial at the compliment. "I am far from perfect."

"But you seem to do everything so much better than me."

"That is not true. You are biased." Arthur placed a warm hand against Alfred's cheek. "I am better at some things compared to you, but you are better in other aspects as well. That doesn't mean I see you as someone less or someone more than me. We're the same. It's called respect, something of which I have so much for you."

Alfred didn't say anything as he stared at Arthur. "I don't think…even Yao sees me on that same level…"

Arthur chuckled darkly. He resumed running his fingers through Alfred's hair. "That's because he sees his role in life differently. He's rather…protective of you, so how he sees you is different too. I just want to be your companion and someone dear to you."

Alfred smiled. He reached up to take Arthur's hand in his hair in his. "It's so easy to fall in love with you…"

Arthur gasped sharply. He looked at Alfred in shock, taking a moment to collect his now scattered thoughts. "You… You actually…"

Alfred blushed in a way a king never should, but he didn't seem ashamed of it. He beamed at Arthur, sitting up to kiss his cheek. "You make it too easy. You're amazing."

Ducking his head, Arthur wiped at his cheek. "I didn't think anyone was capable…"

"Are you kidding me?"

Arthur lifted his head. The tears in his eyes made them glisten as he stared at Alfred. Then, he leaned in to capture Alfred's lips in his. Alfred returned the kiss, making a soft noise in the back of his throat. Arthur replied with his own breathy moan. Alfred opened his mouth to allow Arthur inside, but then found himself being lowered back onto the grass. He opened his eyes to watch as Arthur climbed atop him.

"I love you too," Arthur whispered as he pressed his face into Alfred's neck. "I love you…"

Alfred wrapped his arms under Arthur's armpits to encircle his shoulders. He then pulled him closer onto his body, pressing them flush against each other. Arthur's hands which had been so tender before were now strong as they pushed away at Alfred's clothes. The King stopped him suddenly, and the Duke worried perhaps he had gone too far.

"There's…something in my pocket to help…," Alfred said with a husky tone. He looked at Arthur with low-lidded eyes. It sent a shiver down Arthur's spine.

"You planned this." Arthur smiled, nipping at Alfred's ear.

"I said I had plans toda-ah!" Alfred leaned his head back as Arthur moved to lick and suck at the King's neck.

Under the shade of the ancient tree in the secret garden that was specially reserved for royal couples when they needed intimate privacy, Alfred and Arthur shared their hearts. Alfred who had been so concerned about his inability to make Arthur enjoy the sex was relieved when he heard his lover moan and cry out his name in such a sexy way. It excited him all the more. Arthur watched him, him and only him, and they forgot there was a world out there that existed where they had duties to other people.

Right now, their only duty was to each other.

Arthur cupped Alfred's butt, massaging it as he rocked into him. He whispered gentle words of encouragement to his new lover, helping him along, and never once gave up because it wasn't good enough. It was better. The past were so quick and easy; a simple fuck. This was different, longer, and hotter. Alfred was beautiful as he arched his sweat-glistened body, calling for Arthur, and watching him. Arthur was able to watch him unabashedly. He cradled his leaking cock, enjoying the way it twitched and spilled pre-cum into his hand. Knowing full well the King was watching him, Arthur brought the cum to his mouth and licked it off of his fingers.

It all felt right, but then again, everyone says that when they're in love. But it did. It felt like Arthur had been wandering too long and Alfred had waited and they found each other to climax at this point on this sacred ground. This moment was reserved for them as if it had waited and wandered too.

Arthur never noticed how a person's body reacted to sex before. He never noticed how it twitched and ached and closed around him, seemingly locking him in place inside his lover, as if it would meld them together. He leaned over Alfred, brushing his sweat soaked bangs aside, kissing his forehead.

"I love you… My King… You're the most precious person… to me."

Alfred reached out to caress Arthur's cheek. "You're… mine… too… My… My Queen…"

Arthur gasped, feeling his balls tighten at the title, and then he came inside Alfred. The King followed not long after and they were breathless for a time. The wind carried their love around the roses and the tree and the grass.

"Your…Your Queen…?" Arthur repeated, looking Alfred in the eyes. He was still atop the King.

Alfred nodded. "There's no one else…I'd want to rule beside me… I hope you have royalty in you…because I want you to stay with me…"

No one liked Arthur Kirkland. He was too much of this and too less of that. He was never enough. But for the King of Spades, a man who used to be so down on his luck but was now rising to power, he was certainly enough. He was more than enough.

* * *

_Hoshiko2_'s cents: Two chapters left! Next one will be a shocker, that's for sure!

Also, if you haven't found it yet, my Farewell FST is on my writing blog right at the top of the page under my welcome banner. If you cannot find it, please ask me. I will be happy to personally send you the link. I created it for my readers as a thank you for reading and enjoying my work for the duration of my time here.


	8. Part 8

"He said there's no proof?" Arthur repeated with a blank expression. "Somehow, this does not surprise me."

Alfred was busy with a video game having just explained to Arthur about Yao's findings with the Kirkland line. "Yeah, I mean, he looked, but there was nothing. Your line kind of just came about, he said."

"Oh, that is ludicrous." Arthur sat in the bean bag chair next to him. "And you believed him?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, although Alfred completely missed it due to him focusing on snipping another character in the game. "Because he babies you."

"Tsk, whatever. Haha! Take that!" Alfred thrust a fist in the air in triumph. He frowned over at Arthur. "Why do you hate Yao so much?"

"I don't hate him, per say. I don't like how he treats you."

Alfred lay back in his bean bag with a frustrated sigh. "Okay, so he took my power, but he did it to protect me. I was young, and had just lost my family."

"But you are older now. You're of age to regain that power back, granted it _has_ lessened over time due to government change. However, I believe it is high time you prove yourself." Arthur began to fix Alfred's hair and clothing, looking at him critically. "You've come a long way since I first met you all those months ago, love. I want only the best for you."

Alfred smiled tenderly. He put a hand on Arthur's wrist. "Babe, you _are_ the best."

"Terrible," Arthur scoffed despite his reddening cheeks.

"In any case, let me handle it, okay?" Alfred sat up a little. "I just started getting involved in politics and the country. Let me build up my revenue."

Arthur opened his mouth to protest, but Alfred covered it with his lips. The King was growing bolder in his advances. He wanted to please the Duke. Already he felt too inadequate. Arthur had more experience than him. Although Alfred wasn't a fast learner, he never gave without all of his love behind every kiss and touch.

Arthur didn't protest, but rather, he melted into Alfred. He opened his mouth to the King. He let the man inside. Alfred, though, wanted Arthur in him. He lay back, pulling Arthur to lie atop him as he spread his legs to accommodate him. Arthur's hands gripped Alfred's pants. He pressed himself against Alfred. He moaned in unison. Alfred squint his eyes. Arthur's flushed face was quite erotic.

"A-Arthur," Alfred whispered. He sighed when he felt Arthur undo his pants and grasp his hardening penis. "I love you…"

Arthur kissed Alfred's neck. His hands worked skillfully to bring the King to full attention. Then, he pressed his own erection against Alfred's, using both hands to jerk them off. His breath was hot against Alfred's ear. "I love you too, my King."

"Oh…! Oh, my Queen." Alfred cupped Arthur's face with both hands. Blue met green as their eyes locked. "Be…my Queen."

Arthur's panting mingled with Alfred's to fill the space between them. Then, "Yes…"

Alfred kissed Arthur fiercely; as if this was the first and last kiss they had ever and would ever share. He dropped his hands to Arthur's shoulders, and then raked them down Arthur's back. Arthur moved to slide more of Alfred's pants down and away, exposing his ass to the warm room. Alfred's eyes sparked with excitement. Arthur returned the look.

And then, it was broken.

Alfred shoved Arthur off of him as he tried to conceal himself. He was staring, wide-eyed at Yao. The Jack was standing in the doorway with an expression of shock and pain melded into one horrified look. Arthur saw him. Color drained from his face.

"Oh no," he breathed.

"Y-Yao, it's"-

"Guards!" Yao's expression rapidly morphed into anger. He yelled for the guards again.

"No!" Alfred shouted. Arthur quickly dressed beside him. "No, Yao! It's okay!"

Two men dressed in blue and black with coattails and black helmets sporting firearms appeared beside Yao. Yao pointed at Arthur. "Arrest the Duke of Blue!"

"No!" Alfred exclaimed. He scrambled to get out of his beanbag chair.

"He took advantage of the King!"

"No! No, it was consensual! Yao, please!" Alfred reached for Arthur as the guards charged towards them.

"Restrain the King!" Yao ordered.

One guard grabbed Arthur, yanking him away from Alfred while the other held Alfred away. The Duke shot Alfred a pleading look as he struggled to break free. Alfred's screams echoed in the room, but went unheard. Yao watched. He remained stoic. Even as Arthur was dragged past him and down the hallway and Alfred continued to scream, he made no move to change.

The guard holding Alfred was having a rather difficult time. The young King was surprisingly strong for his lack of exercise over the years. Yao merely walked out of the room. He called the guard back to him, allowing Alfred to make a break for it. He didn't get too far. Yao slammed the doors closed. He then locked them with a key the guard had on him. Alfred's pleas were muffled by the wood. He banged on the door, but to no avail. He was trapped.

"The King is confined to this room," Yao said with an air of finality.

* * *

Arthur was roughly handled all the way to the dungeon. It seemed a bit extreme of a move, but Yao had made it quite clear Arthur was not to be treated kindly, which meant he went to the dungeon. The guard holding him was quiet. Arthur hadn't seen him before.

"Are you new?" The guard remained silent.

The dungeon hadn't been used in some time. There were cobwebs dominating the corners, branching out across the ceiling, and reaching down towards the floors. Rust was apparent on the bars of some of the cells. Even in Arthur's rougher days he had never been too extreme to sleep on the floor or in gutters. Looking at the moldy beds on the rickety frames riddled with termites made him nervous. He hid it well, though.

The guard shoved Arthur into the center cell unceremoniously. This cell fared better than the others. Arthur stumbled a bit. He composed himself before turning to the guard.

"Who are you?"

The guard smiled. His teeth seemed yellow compared to his white, white skin. "Just a servant, doing my job."

Arthur narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "You obviously have no idea what you're doing. What happened between the King and I was mutual."

"That remains to be proven." Yao appeared at the dungeon entry with a grim expression. He dismissed the guard. Arthur suddenly wished the enigmatic man back. The Jack and Duke stared at each other in the painful silence. Then, Yao smiled. "You should've been arrested years ago for all the trouble you've caused. I knew about you long before you were important to Alfred. An ex-delinquent such as yourself has no place with the King."

"So you think locking him away will fix everything?" Arthur asked. "What will happen if you're not there? How can he help himself? At least I care to teach him to do that."

"And what will you do when he grows tired of you too?" Yao murmured. His low voice startled Arthur. "When he becomes independent of you, what will you do?"

"He won't," Arthur stated fiercely. "He loves me."

"Or so you think." Yao smiled.

"I know he does," Arthur growled. "You can try to warm my mind, but it won't work."

"You think you're the only person he's told he loves?" Yao chuckled hauntingly.

"No… but I'm the only one he's told that is still here."

Yao looked at Arthur sharply. Arthur refused to lose. If Yao could rip Alfred away from him, then Arthur could very well void Yao's claims of Alfred's affections for him. Arthur wanted to smile, but that'd be too easy for Yao to slip in and say something.

"He does not need you anymore. You're blinded by your love for him to really see what is going on. He is a man now. You have to learn to let him go."

"Would you?" Yao asked quickly. There was alarm in his voice.

Arthur hesitated. He imagined being in Yao's shoes. What kind of pain would he be experiencing right now as his entire world was starting to be pulled out from under him? He could talk with all the bravado he wanted, but until he was truly in that situation, he had no idea what Yao was feeling right now. No one ever wanted to leave their beloved, even if it was for the better; it still hurt. However, to say that one could do it was always a noble idea.

"If…it means he'd be happy…then yes. I won't lie and say it won't hurt, but it's selfish of me to try and hold him back."

Yao didn't look convinced. He simply smirked, and then left. Arthur didn't know just what the Jack had in store for him. There was a chance he'd leave him down there; forgotten. Hopefully Alfred would still come to him.

* * *

Yao needed a moment to compose himself. His knees shook and he felt weak. It was as if he had a fever. The wall provided support as he caught his breath. It wasn't Arthur's words. It couldn't be.

The thought of being unneeded by anyone filled Yao with a dark and sticky terror that clung to every bit of his being.

"Sir?" The servant's soft voice startled Yao. "Are you all right?"

Yao collected himself. "Fine. It's a hot day today."

"It's October."

"And there can be hot days," Yao stressed. He brushed past the servant. Alfred's game room was close. "Is the King still confined?"

"Yes, but he's gone quiet."

Yao wanted to smile and think it was a good sign, but he worried just how upset Alfred could be inside, or if he had managed to sneak out. The room was a good three stories up, but the King could be crafty at times. "Good. He's probably playing one of his games."

The guard was still standing by the door. Yao was admitted inside. Alfred was standing right in front with his arms crossed and a murderous expression on his too young face. Yao was only slightly surprised, although he didn't show it.

"Where is he?" Alfred growled. "Tell me."

"He's under arrest for treason, so he's in the dungeon." Yao sounded far too casual for the situation. "He'll be on trial soon enough for his crimes."

"And let me guess, I'm not allowed to attend." Yao nodded once. Alfred was shaking with anger by now. "Who gave you the right to do such a thing?"

"I have the power to arrest anyone I believe is a threat to the Crown of the country."

"Arthur isn't a threat," Alfred started with a rising voice, but then stopped himself. Yao watched him curiously. "If you take him away from me, I'll have no one left."

_It hurt_.

Yao narrowed his eyes. "That's why I'm here to protect you."

Alfred laughed darkly. "Wow. Arthur was right. You really _do_ baby me."

"You don't understand…"

"God damnit! I am so _sick_ of hearing that!" The volume of Alfred's voice visibly startled Yao. "Does everyone really think I'm some fucking moron?! How can I prove myself if no one will give me a chance?! Arthur was the _only_ one to think I had anything great in me! But you don't, do you?!"

_It cut. It sawed. It pulled him in multiple directions, demanding his attention and ignoring him until he froze from the heat._

"I'll fight for him. Why can't you see that he means so much to me…?"

_It hurt so much._

"Because it hurts!" Yao shouted, effectively shutting Alfred up. "When someone you care for leaves or forgets your love, it hurts! It hurts when you do _everything_ for them and it is never enough!"

Alfred seemed confused at first, but then realization settled in. "You… You never said anything before."

Yao turned away from Alfred. "Why do I have to…? Can't you _ever_ read the atmosphere?"

Alfred was silent for a time. Yao tried to push aside all of the sharp pains sprinting inside his heart. Instead, he focused on how to deal with the situation now. He had to continue talking to Alfred past today somehow. However, now that his feelings were out in the open, could he continue to see him on a daily basis? Perhaps he could send Alfred away for a while until this all calmed down."

Such a thought startled him. How could he possibly be thinking of sending Alfred away? And how could he think it would ever settle back to _any_ sort of normalcy?

"Yao…I do understand," Alfred started silently. Yao flinched at the King's defeated tone. "I know how it feels when someone you love leaves you. And… I've known all my life how it feels when you try your hardest, but nothing comes of it… You… took all of my power. You… left me all those years ago when you were forced to grow up and take care of me. You haven't been the same Yao I knew when we were younger, since before you became Jack. Watching you react this way only proves that you've forgotten my love…and you too have left."

_It stopped._

Yao felt his body become numb. His feet weren't really on the floor. Briefly, he wondered if he even _had_ feet anymore. Surprisingly, though, it didn't hurt. It was beyond pain. It was that moment between when an injection had just penetrated the skin, but before the body grew used to it. It was that moment right when you started to fall backwards and your body didn't know how to brace itself for impact. It robbed Yao of clarity.

"Follow me," he mumbled.

* * *

Alfred was hesitant to follow Yao, but maybe it was to the dungeon to see Arthur. Or maybe it was further away from him. Eventually, though, the King realized he was being taken to the library. Yao walked slightly ahead with his shoulders squared and his head held high. Somehow, Alfred just knew he was incredibly tense.

Once inside, Yao moved swiftly towards a room off to the side. He pulled out a ring of keys and unlocked the door. A sign on the front read "Scrolls". Alfred probably had seen the door before, but ignored it. Yao stepped inside and walked away without waiting for Alfred.

The room inside was crowded to just a single-person line as towering bookshelves enclosed the space. On their overstocked shelves were scrolls caked in dust. The air was heavy with a musky and stale scent. In the low light, tiny packs of dust particles lazily hovered, only to be disturbed as Yao made a steady line to the far back. Alfred felt a little claustrophobic as the bookshelves loomed overhead.

Yao stopped suddenly. He carefully pulled out three scrolls from a seemingly random pile. There was a Roman numeral thirteen etched on a golden plaque connected to the shelf the scrolls sat on. Alfred wanted to ask Yao about this room, but worried that his voice would cause an avalanche, or snap the Jack out of his strange trance, or both.

Then, Yao shuffled past Alfred and headed towards the door. Fearful of being locked inside, Alfred gave chase. A warm hand caressed his face, startling the King. He whipped around with wide eyes. There was no one there.

"Alfred?" Yao's voice softly called from the door. Alfred wasted little time in rushing outside after that. He took a deep breath to relieve his nerves. He felt Yao's eyes on him as he locked the door. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah. Sorry." Alfred straightened up hoping to catch a look at Yao's face, but the Jack had already turned away. His voice was still soft and distant.

Yao strode down a row of bookshelves, and Alfred followed. He spared a glance back at the room again, but hurried away from it with a shudder. Yao was too preoccupied to notice Alfred's discomfort. He pulled out a thick leather-bound book with a faded blue cover. He shoved it into Alfred's chest, forcing him to carry it. Before Alfred could protest, Yao was grabbing another, and then another.

He had stacked five books in Alfred's arms before he walked to the center of the library where there were a cluster of tables and chairs. Alfred loudly dumped the load onto the nearest table. The noise echoed off of the walls until the deafening silence returned. Yao studied Alfred carefully. Then, he placed a single key on the table. "Portraits" was etched onto the handle.

"What is all of this?" Alfred asked, waving a hand out at the books and scrolls. He looked at the top-most book. "The Book of Hoyle Part 1- Thirteenth Reign. Huh?"

"The trial will be tomorrow at nine," Yao whispered. He pulled from his pocket a crumpled piece of paper, and then set it on the table near the key. "You'll find this helpful, too."

Yao turned to go, but Alfred was quick to react. "Yao, wait." The Jack paused. He looked empty and destroyed, just as Alfred had been not long ago; before he met Arthur. "Why…why are you doing this?"

"…Because it's selfish of me to keep you locked away." Yao offered a tired smile. "I played my part, I guess. Just like back then."

"Just like when?" Alfred tilted his head.

Yao nodded at the books. "Read those. You'll understand."

Then, he left.

Alfred sat down in a chair at the table with an irritated sigh. He ran a hand down his face. He wasn't exactly adverse to reading, but he didn't enjoy it either. The most he had done was, outside of school, manuals for his video games. That's not to say he was bad at it. He did like it back when he had a brother to share his stories with.

Coughing into his hand and remembering he was doing this for Arthur, he pulled the top book to him. It felt old and brittle. Opening the cover and flipping to the first few pages, he knew this was going to be long and boring. However, he nearly shot up out of his chair at the first line.

_The Thirteenth Reign of Spades brought about a glorious golden age, peacefully ruled between King Alfred Frederick Jones, Queen Arthur James Kirkland, and Jack Yao Wang._

* * *

_Hoshiko2_'s cents: So sorry for the wait. I just ran out of steam and…things. But I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! One more chapter for G&B! I, um… will be participating in the USUK Livejournal Sweethearts Week. So there will be daily updates from me for a week. I didn't plan this. Blame Zo One as she persisted for days to make me join.

In all honesty… I should be out of writing fanfics by now…


	9. Part 9

_A/N: _Please read Hoyle Act 2's epilogue before this, if you haven't already. Thank you.

* * *

"_My dear… I am not long for this world any longer."_

"_It has been a long and wonderful life, but if you go, I will follow soon after. I cannot live without you."_

"_Then, let's meet again…"_

Alfred jolted awake. He had fallen asleep over the large books that Yao had provided them sometime during the early morning. It was now nearly nine. Stretching, he felt his neck and lower back seize up from having slept in an awkward angle. He didn't remember when he had fallen asleep, but it was when the sun had just turned the sky pink. Inwardly he cursed for having fallen asleep at all.

"Fuck… This is all so confusing…" Alfred glanced at the keys on the table that Yao had left him. He had yet to use them. "I hope this helps."

He got up. His legs protested at first, but then were grateful for the movement. The keys were for the Portrait Room, an old, unused room that housed paintings and photographs from previous royal families. Alfred had only seen a handful of them in his textbooks. Reproductions of some were on display in various museums around Spades and Hoyle. Alfred couldn't recall any of the portraits ever being very important; at least none that could help in his case to save Arthur.

Thinking about his lover made Alfred walk quicker to the room in the far corner of the library. He only hoped it didn't have the same odd feeling as what lingered on him once he left the Scrolls Room. Since that incident, Alfred had yet to experience anything like it. Frankly, he was quite grateful for that. Ghosts were never something he could handle. Even thinking about them made him anxious. However, a familiar English voice chimed in his ear that it was silly to be afraid of such a ridiculous thing.

"Do it for Arthur," Alfred told himself.

* * *

Arthur jolted awake. Yao stood on the other side of the bars with a grim expression. There was, however, a mysterious light to his eyes.

"Good morning," Yao said quietly. "The trial will be in an hour. Follow my servant to be washed and fed."

Arthur watched Yao leave. His head throbbed in pain and his body ached from having slept in an awkward angle on a thin mattress. His body felt cold all the way to his bones. It had not been a warm or even a cool night. He was lucky not to have contracted some illness like pneumonia.

"Come with me," said the short servant. He wore a black hat over his blond hair. Arthur faintly recalled seeing him by Yao's side frequently these past few months, but never remembered much else about him.

He heaved himself up off of the bed. His body complained painfully. The servant watched as Arthur tried to smooth down the wrinkles on his clothes. It was no use. It was obvious he had slept in his clothes.

Together, the servant and Arthur made their way down near the kitchens until they stopped at a room. It wasn't glamorous and didn't stand apart from the other doors nearby. Arthur would've normally breezed right past it on any other given day. Inside, the room was nearly bare bones as it had just a simple bed, a small chest of drawers, a ratty rug, and a door off to the side that led to, presumably, a bathroom.

"Through there is the water closet and bathroom," the servant said, nodding to the other door. Arthur noticed he had a rather young, English voice. "You may bathe in there. The Jack has sent for an outfit of yours to be delivered so you may change into that afterwards. When you are done, there will be breakfast."

"Why is the Jack doing this?" Arthur asked referring to the meal and a chance to cleanse himself of the dungeon smell. "I thought for sure he'd want me to look horrid for today's trial."

The servant smiled. "Maybe he's not so bad after all."

Arthur chose not to reply to that. Instead, he moved towards the bathroom, eager for a wash.

* * *

Yao jolted out of his daydream, having dozed off while waiting in his chair. He acknowledged every one of the Parliament members. Before Arthur's trial, they would have to attend to matters of state first. Then, Yao would alert Parliament to Arthur's acts, labeling it as treason so it would have to start right away. Such issues were pushed to the front much quicker than a normal state trial would.

Yao truly wasn't interested in anything else today other than the trial. The feelings from last night's confrontation with Alfred were starting to grow numb after the initial strike. Although there were still conflicting feelings that pained him if he mulled over it for too long, he knew the trial would take his mind off of everything.

The Clock Room was the meeting grounds for Parliament. Inside, it was a wooden, tiered room with the Jack at the top, and the customary spots for the King and Queen flanking his sides. These were usually empty. The tiers below were the Lords and Ladies arranged by their property size. On the floor was seating for the press and official recorders as well as the Treasurer, guards, and normally empty seats for citizens that wished to sit in. A podium was in the center of the room for trial matters.

Finally, it came time to Yao to make his announcement. He stood. "Members of Parliament, it has come to my attention that treason has been committed."

The room rumbled with murmurs. "I move to begin a trial against the offender!" someone yelled.

"I second it!" another person exclaimed.

"Who is it?" someone else shouted.

Yao resisted a smile. "The Duke of Blue, Arthur Kirkland."

Now, Parliament exploded. Angry shouts and accusations were flung at other Lords and Ladies, mainly at the Lord Blue for being behind the act. The Lord Blue tried to explain he had no part in any of it. It was amazing considering not one member even knew what the act was.

Yao had to yell over everyone in order to settle them down again. Slowly, they began to quiet down. "Bring in the Duke."

The soldier from last night opened the door. Arthur was standing beside the short servant as he walked down the aisle, stopping before the podium. He held his head high despite being in handcuffs and slightly pale with dark marks around his eyes. Once he stood at the center, the guard stood on his other side. Arthur looked up at Yao with venom in his eyes.

"Duke of Blue, Arthur Kirkland, you stand on trial for treason," Yao said. His voice boomed in the still room. "How do you plead?"

"Not guilty," Arthur replied. His voice sounded smaller than Yao's.

"In cases where someone of the royal family accuses someone of treason, the offender does not receive a lawyer. In these cases you must defend yourself and rely on Parliament to help back you up." Arthur remained silent. "Is it true you and King have been involved in sexual activities?"

"Yes." Parliament seemed to move as a group in disapproval.

"Did you force the King at any of these times?"

"No."

"How long ago did this start?"

Arthur hesitated. He seemed to be thinking about when exactly it had started. "Nearly six months ago, before the King's birthday."

"How many times would you say you two had become intimate?"

Arthur's face burned, and he glared at Yao menacingly. Then, he grumbled, "That is none of your business."

"I believe it is."

"Sire, please," a Lady asked looking obviously annoyed. "Ask another question."

Yao nodded. "Of course. Duke Kirkland, did you force your agenda on the King?"

"What? No!" Arthur seemed insulted by the question, almost more so than the previous one. He struggled against the handcuffs, but settled down when the soldier stared at him. "I would _never_ force _anything_ on Alfr- our King."

There were murmurs around the room. The Lady Aqua stood up. "Sir Jack, do you have any evidence to back up your claims?"

Yao nodded at the soldier. The man left Arthur's side and headed to the front door. "Yesterday I caught the King and the Duke in the middle of some very personal affairs. I have collected the beanbag chair from the King's Game Room which has stains from their semen on it."

The soldier returned to the room carrying the mentioned beanbag with white stains on it. Arthur's face flared red, and he had to duck his head. Members of Parliament talked louder and faster at seeing it. Yao couldn't help but smirk at finally bringing Arthur to justice.

"How do we know that is theirs?" a Lord asked.

Yao held up a piece of paper from his table. "These are the lab results from a forensic lab that I had check the semen overnight." Yao grew irritated by the cross-examinations. He had counted on everyone to jump at the chance to back him up. "Ladies and Lords of Parliament, hear me out. My accusations are not sudden. I have witnessed as the King grew more and more irritated with the Duke. I even have here a letter he sent to the Duke to dismiss him. Still, Duke Kirkland pushed himself onto our young King. We can all agree that the King is very inept in the ways of our government."

"But the King _has_ started to take an interest in politics," a Lord spoke up.

"Only _after_ he began relations with the Duke," Yao replied curtly.

"How do we know that for certain?" a Lord asked. "Much of this seems to be accusations."

"If we look at the timeline of the Duke and the King's friendship, they met in the spring where their initial meeting resulted in the King barring the Duke from his birthday. Then, the King suddenly creates a charity event, all headed by the Duke of Blue in _his_ area of Blue. Shortly after that, the King sends the Duke a letter telling him to leave him alone. And, if we are to go by the Duke's word just now of them starting intimate relations before the King's birthday, that means that despite the King dismissing Duke Kirkland, they have had several sexual encounters."

By now Parliament seemed more convinced. Arthur looked to them with growing dread appearing on his face. Yao couldn't help but feel victorious. Now he was going to go in for the kill.

"You all forget that, by law, if the King wishes to begin relations with anyone, he must seek approval with Parliament," Yao said. He looked to Arthur. The Duke seemed caught off guard by this; he didn't know. Yao grinned smugly. "Furthermore, the person in question must be of royal descent. Duke Kirkland, did you not look into your family's genealogy?"

"Y-yes…," Arthur stuttered.

"Did you find any traces of royal blood in your line?"

Here, Arthur hesitated. He stared at Yao challengingly, and then dropped his head. "…No, I did not."

There was talking in the room again. Yao straightened his back and puffed out his chest. Even if some of the Lords and Ladies still weren't convinced as to the treason claim, the law was quite clear. And Arthur knew he had broken it.

However, he wasn't going down without a fight.

"But that was only because _you_ tore out the pages!" Arthur suddenly shouted, pointing at Yao. "You have committed crimes too, and yet you don't take responsibility for them!"

"Silence!" Yao yelled.

"No! If there is one thing the King has taught me, it is faith in our government to do what's right! Alfred _always_ defended you! He trusts you! How _dare_ you go behind his back like that?!"

"You still broke the law!" Yao could feel eyes on him. A sliver of guilt wormed its way into his strong mental defense against Arthur and all of those conflicting feelings. He, too, would not go down without a fight.

"Because we're in love!" Arthur's words reverberated around the room. Many Lords and Ladies were shocked into silence, but none more than Yao. The Jack took a small step back as if Arthur's words had struck a physical blow to him. "Yes, _finally_ our young King has fallen in love. And yet, you want to take that away from him. He has so little left in the way of trust in people. Why would you do that?"

"You still broke the law. You must be held accountable," Yao tried weakly.

"Yes, I did not seek our permission, and I am not royal blood. Of that, I am guilty." Arthur inhaled, puffing his chest out. Yao felt his own deflate. In that moment, Arthur truly looked regal. "However, don't you dare demean our relationship to something that is forced. That man _is a man_. He is not a boy. You all should stop treating him as such! He is a very deep and sensitive and compassionate man who wants to _help_ this country become something great! He wants to make his late parents and brother proud. He wants to make you proud, Jack Yao. And I am glad he is my King. He will be great, if you'd just let him have the chance. The King has taught me so much, and I didn't even know I was missing it!"

Yao was quiet. Even though Arthur was the only one looking at Yao, it felt like all eyes in the room were trained on the Jack. There was evidence against Arthur, he was handcuffed, made to look like a traitor before all of Parliament, and he had admitted to breaking the law. And yet, Arthur remained firm in his love. He stood proudly before Parliament, seemingly unharmed by the trial. As much as Yao despised the Duke, he was impressed, and even respected him a little.

"Regardless… You must take responsibility," Yao said weakly.

"Then, I shall accept my punishment," Arthur said with a level tone.

"That means you cannot see the King again."

Arthur looked as if he had been struck in the gut at hearing the news. Quickly, he composed himself. Yao was reminded of how he looked shortly before he said he would let go of Alfred if it meant his happiness. Where did he get such strength? "Then…so be it. I am man of honor, and if that is the law…then…"

Yao looked around, waiting for someone to oppose him. No one did. They all looked uncomfortable or pained to let this continue. Yao looked to the door, anticipating Alfred to appear. It seemed he hadn't done an adequate job despite everything Yao had provided him. Time was up.

"Then…Duke of Blue, Arthur Kirkland, you are-"

The doors then burst open in too dramatic a fashion. King Alfred strode in looking weary, but years older than he actually was. He carried in his arms a small stack of books and scrolls. Parliament stood suddenly in unison. Alfred paid them no attention. He stopped next to Arthur, glaring at the soldier.

"Release him."

"He is guilty of breaking the law," the soldier said with a devious smile.

"Release him now. As your King I demand it." The soldier did as he was told. Alfred took Arthur's hand with his free hand, and then confronted Yao. "This man is innocent of all charges."

"But he did not seek-"

"Then I request it now!" Alfred interjected loudly.

A Lord called out, "But he is not of royal blood!"

At this, Alfred smiled confidently. "Yes he is." Parliament grew excited, and a few were even angry. Yao continued to stare at him. "I have proof."

"Show us!" someone yelled.

Alfred slammed the large books and scrolls he was carrying onto the podium. Their _bang_ echoed in the room, bringing the Lords and Ladies to a lull. Yao sighed sadly. He knew what was to come. Feeling the oncoming defeat, he took a seat.

"These are the two volumes about the Thirteenth Reign, where my ancestor, who I was named after, came to power. History focuses on his success at starting the Number Equalizing movement, creating the Four Kingdoms Treaty that is still in effect today, and creating the Spades Empire. However, history tends to hide the fact his Queen did a lot of work too. His Queen named Arthur James Kirkland."

Yao closed his eyes. _Good-bye forever, Alfred._

* * *

Alfred felt strong, powerful, and like a man reborn. Here he _finally_ had a chance to make a difference. He was all too happy to be helping his beloved, and to show the world that he could stand up for what he believed in. And maybe, just maybe, he could put an end to the debate about his bachelorhood. Arthur _had_ agreed to be his Queen. Hopefully that wasn't an agreement just to humor him.

"The Arthur Kirkland from this era is related to the Arthur Kirkland from the Thirteen Reignth, just as I am related to Alfred Jones I," Alfred started. "Back then, the royals were chosen as a means of Counting, where this magic clock dictated who would be King, Queen, and Jack. During their reign, though, the clock was broken, thereby making the Counting no longer an option to choose royalty. Also, before then, no King and Queen of Spades had ever married. But Alfred and Arthur fell in love and did marry.

"Shortly after the creation of the Four Kingdoms Treaty, the couple took on a surrogate mother to birth their children; a son from Alfred and a daughter from Arthur. The song would eventually go on to become King Samuel the First, while the daughter, Princess Alice, would become the Queen of Clubs. The Kirkland line continued through Alice's offspring, despite not having the same surname. However, eventually one of her descendants would marry a distant cousin in the Kirkland family. The proof is in this scroll that contains the missing pages from the Kirkland genealogy.

"Finally, there is an old portrait to show the resemblance between the two Arthur's." He looked at the small servant to his left. "Fetch me the portrait outside."

The servant left his side with the same smile as the soldier. He returned shortly holding the large portrait. He set it down beside Arthur, and then pulled off the large blanket covering the front. The picture showed a man that had a striking resemblance to Alfred standing in the front holding a Spades shaped golden clock. A man that looked identical to Yao knelt in front with a long sword at his feet. Arthur was shocked as he looked at the mirror image of himself that was Queen Arthur standing to Alfred's right. In his arms was a large, golden clock; possibly the magic clock Alfred mentioned.

All of Parliament began to loudly discuss amongst themselves. Arthur stared at Alfred in awe. The King simply beamed back. He felt confident that he had won now. There was nothing that anyone could do now. Alfred had won.

"E-excuse me, but... magic clock?" a Lady asked skeptically.

Alfred frowned. "Yes. It's possibly still in our Treasury. But that's beside the point."

"It is exactly the point."

"And, there is still the matter of Kirkland's crime."

"But...I asked for permission just now," Alfred tried.

"We know you two have been intimate already." Alfred's heart fell slightly. "His punishment is that he cannot see you again."

"But I've asked him to be my Queen, and..."

"And it would bring even more problems to the country! Duke Kirkland cannot possibly mother us an heir!"

Alfred worried his lower lip. He knew walking in that it wouldn't be easy to persuade Parliament, but he figured things would start to go his way once he showed the evidence and presented his carefully crafted speech. There was one more thing he could say, but it would be a risky move. Given that members doubted the magic clock, he had a feeling that they'd be even more suspicious of something called a Time Lock.

"Uh... I have one more thing to explain," Alfred started. He sounded a lot less powerful than when he first walked in. "In the Book of Hoyle Volume 2, the King is said to have an ability to do something called Time Lock."

"How ridiculous! Magic? Time travel!? What nonsense!" members scoffed.

"I-it's not time travel," Alfred said. "It is used when the King feels either he or the Queen is in danger. It places the one affected out of their time, keeping them safe, until the King Unlocks the Time Lock. Um and it..." Alfred grabbed one of the large books. He opened to a page he had dog eared. "It says here it also works as a means to eventually reunite the King and Queen."

"This is absurd!"

"This was written down by the Jack of Spades of the Thirteenth Reign, Yao Wang," Alfred shot back crossly. He was losing his patience quickly with this argument. To him, it should've been over already. "Back then, magic was real and alive. Technology had just been born, and hadn't taken over like it has now. The King was even known to have super strength."

"Then why don't you have it?"

"Because it was a power that came to him by way of the First Queen of Spades, from where the magic clock came from."

"This all seems too farfetched." Parliament steadily grew angrier the longer Alfred explained.

Alfred was deflating under the pressure, and quickly running out of ways to defend himself and Arthur. Briefly, he imagined the horrible idea of Arthur being forced away from him. The thought of failing something as important as this scared Alfred. Then, he felt Arthur squeeze his hand reassuringly. He looked to the Duke and saw those green eyes giving him strength once more.

"I think the point our King is trying to make is that the past wanted to reunite in the future-our present," Arthur said. "And if his argument doesn't prove that this is not forced and that he is working to save me out of love, then I don't know what will."

Alfred squeezed Arthur's hand. Then, he looked back up at Parliament. His eyes met Yao's. The Jack had been uncharacteristically quiet this entire time. His face was ashen and his shoulders were drooped as if he were drained of life. However, he didn't seem angry or even the slightest bit upset. Alfred couldn't figure out what kind of expression he was making, or if he was even making one at all. Still, it was strange to see such a blank look on the man Alfred had known his entire life.

Alfred started to feel guilt pool in his stomach. He had gone behind Yao, lied to him about his relationship with Arthur, and had defied him multiple times in the past months. Yao was the only man who had remained with him all these years. He held him when Alfred cried over the loss of his parents, practically raised him and cared for his well being, and protected him from all the harm the world tried to pull him down into. And Alfred had repaid him by going against him. It was no wonder Yao looked completely defeated now. Hadn't Alfred looked that same way for the majority of his life?

"He's right!" the soldier to Alfred's right piped up. "Magic clocks, super strength, and Time Locks all _do _exist! Or, at least, they did. Well, the Time Lock could still be in effect. Alfred has to say the spell to Unlock it."

"Soldier! You are out of line!" a guard near the door boomed.

"Oh, I would be if..." Then, the soldier pulled off his hat to reveal brilliant white hair and goat ears. "I was a soldier."

The guards surged to apprehend the strange man, but he vanished in a whirlwind of smoke. Parliament members screamed in surprise and fear. Instinctively, Alfred pulled Arthur close to him protectively. The guards looked around for the man and shouted orders to search the Clock Room for him, when suddenly he reappeared in thin air, hovering just before the Jack.

"Your Honor, may I approach the bench?" He did a sweeping bow to the Jack. Yao stared at him, unafraid.

"Yao!" Alfred shouted in alarm.

"Get down from there!" the guards shouted, aiming their weapons up at the man. "We will use force if necessary!"

"Aw, but Yao here is my good friend. Aint'cha, Sire?"

Everyone looked at Yao, but the man remained stoic. Then, the servant walked up the air towards Yao. A long, thin, black tail with a spades tip flicked out from the man's behind, wrapping around his leg. Parliament and the guards started at the sight.

"We told the Jack about the books," the man said. He pulled off his own hat, revealing a very young face like that of a boy.

"We told him about the Duke," the other man continued. "And _we_ were the ones to pull out the pages of the genealogy."

"What are you?!" Alfred demanded.

The two men bowed. "Jokers! At your service, Your Majesty!"

The word meant nothing to anyone else, but Alfred. His mouth went slack as he stared at them with wide eyes. Then, he whispered, "The Jokers...? Like the ones...from back then...? But how? After all this time... You're both still alive? Gilbert and Peter..."

"Seems like the curse didn't wear off after all, huh?" the silver haired Joker said with a wide smile. "So, we just got used to it."

"Decided to keep an eye on the Families," the younger Joker said as he did a somersault in the air. He moved a little too close to Parliament, and effectively startled them. Some began to evacuate their seats.

"Then why did you tell Yao and rip out the pages?" Arthur asked.

"Alfred, er, the past one, not this one, didn't perform the Time Lock," the smaller Joker started.

"He just asked us to see that true love always blossoms between King and Queen in Spades," the other finished.

"And we have! This is still a monarchy built on love! We made sure your parents met and fell in love."

"It just so happened that it was you two look alikes!"

"There was no planning involved."

"Nope!"

"Nada."

"None at all."

The two Jokers smiled proudly as they revealed their handiwork. Alfred, however, was shocked to learn that two strange men had been the cause for his parent's marriage, and in a strange way, his and his brother's birth.

"But…then why tear out the pages?" Arthur asked when Alfred remained quiet.

The Jokers grinned widely, stretching their cheeks to the fullest. Together, they sang, "There must _always_ be a test of love!"

"So…all of this…" Arthur trailed off as he absorbed everything.

"But…Yao…" Alfred looked at him sadly. The Jack didn't make eye contact with him. "Why did you…?"

Yao didn't answer. He looked away with downcast eyes.

"Hey, we just told him who you were and all that jazz, but it doesn't mean he has to do anything to help out," one of the Jokers said.

Alfred felt pain cripple his heart. The cavity in his chest felt ready to collapse inwards, until it crushed all of his heart and soul. He stared at Yao feeling all of the things he wanted to say to him, but unable to do. There was guilt and remorse and anger and love and betrayal swarming around inside of him. It was a wonder his body didn't just melt from the intense heat of the thoughts storming through-out his entire body.

Instead of yelling or crying, he simply asked, "Why?"

Yao stood. His shoulders arched his body forwards as they hung heavily with guilt. "I didn't want to lose you…"

"Yao… It's not like I was going to up and move out. Didn't you notice that the closer I got to Arthur, the closer I got to you too? We finally had our meals together and you chatted with me like we were friends again, and you even asked for my input on a few political things." At this, Yao lifted his head. "I don't hate you. I'm angry, yeah, but…dude… I just wanted you to treat me like an adult and actually _listen_ to me. You do so much here. When can I help you? When can I be the one to comfort you when you're upset or let you have a day off for a vacation?

"Arthur isn't someone to fear, either. I've learned a lot from the both of you on how to be more mature and work in the government. You're always pushing me to be stronger, well so is Arthur. He isn't your enemy. He wants to help make our country strong, and he has so many smart ideas. We can all work together."

"Yeah, like checks and balances or something like that!" the smaller Joker chimed in.

"Yao, please…," Alfred pleaded.

Yao looked at Alfred with an unreadable expression. Then, he opened his mouth.

* * *

It would be a month before things began to settle down again. Parliament, with King Alfred, made an announcement to Spades that shocked the entire country. It spread to the rest of Hoyle like wildfire, and the other royals called to hear the news directly from the King's mouth. The story was always the same: Jokers were alive, Arthur was royalty, and Yao had taken a sudden leave of absence. In his stead, Alfred was finally allowed to rule the country.

With the Jokers becoming public knowledge, the story of the Thirteenth and First Reign became a very popular topic in schools and in conversation. Romantic stories were written up about it, and interviews were called for the Jokers and Alfred and Arthur. But Alfred could not meet with anyone for any interviews.

He had dove headfirst into his new responsibilities. His first plan of action was to instantly put it to a vote with the country if the monarchy should remain, or if it should be a constitutional democracy. If it did remain a monarchy, little would change in the country, but the idea of coming into power by birth right in the upper classes might vanish. However, Alfred was fairly certain the country would vote for a constitutional democracy.

In one fell swoop, he'd lose his status as a King. He'd be the very last King of Spades.

This would also dissolve the title of Jack. Word that the Wang line would no longer inherit the Jack position didn't sit well with the majority of the country. Many preferred to keep it as it provided less opportunity for corruption in the government as Wang was a trusted name in nearly every household.

Alfred worked even harder during the first month of his true rule to negotiate with Parliament what would go up for vote and what wouldn't. All the while, Arthur was by his side.

The country took to the romance quite well, with many embracing Arthur as if he already were the Queen. Despite his still low Duke title, he was admitted in to Parliament meetings and gave his opinions on matters, though he still held no vote. He was, also, not allowed to sit in the Queen's booth no matter how much Alfred protested. There were just some traditions that would not be destroyed, at least not yet.

"Does it bother you?" Arthur asked Alfred as they sat outside under the tree in the secret garden where they had made love many times before. He stroked Alfred's hair as the King lay in his lap. "To be the last King of Spades…"

"As long as I can be with you, I really don't care," Alfred said dreamily. His eyes were closed as he enjoyed Arthur's fingers carding through his hair.

"So…then you were serious…" Arthur stopped his hand.

Alfred opened his eyes. He focused on Arthur who stared nervously at him. "I was, and still am. Were you?"

Arthur searched Alfred's eyes. They had both lost loved ones, were discarded by seemingly everyone, and they were to meet. They were supposed to fall in love. Arthur never truly believed in destiny, although he was certainly suspicious of coincidences. Thinking that it was fate, or that the Jokers had planned the entire thing, had kept him up late at night. However, Alfred didn't seem bothered by it at all. He still had a whimsical attitude about everything, and only found that as another reason for them to be together.

That made it easier for Arthur to love him. He smiled gently. "Yes."

* * *

Alfred and Arthur saw Yao as he walked down the corridor. Arthur watched Alfred to see how he'd react. They hadn't seen Yao in months. The man had taken a long and well deserved vacation back in his home town with his family. There had been minimal contact between him and the King.

Yao saw them, and approached casually. He bowed to Alfred, and then to Arthur. "Your Majesties."

Arthur blushed. "I am not the Queen yet. There is no need."

Yao smiled slightly. "Ah, but it is never a bad idea to practice early." Then, Yao looked at Alfred. His expression remained the same, although there was a flicker of something behind his eyes. "Alfred… Tell me, how did my ancestor live?"

Alfred studied Yao carefully. The man didn't seem all that different. And the pain was still very fresh in Alfred's chest, especially at seeing Yao again. Still, he knew that things had to change. Already, the ball was rolling in the country. If he wanted to keep as many people around him as possible, he had to start somewhere.

"Yao was a very loved member of the royal family," Alfred started. "The King and Queen looked after him like a family member, and even made him the God parent to their children. He had a very long and prosperous life, but never married though he was involved in quite an affair with someone. He…died before the King and Queen. The entire kingdom mourned the loss. He was written down in history…as one of the greatest Jacks to have ever lived in Spades."

Yao nodded and smiled. "That is quite lovely. I am happy for my ancestor."

Arthur held out a hand to Yao. He smiled with no sign of a grudge or hesitation. Yao looked at it. They didn't say anything. They didn't have to.

This was meant to be, just as it had been all those years ago. Perhaps King Alfred really _had_ performed the Time Lock, and this was the way to Unlock it.

And time would keep turning.

* * *

_Hoshiko2_'s cents: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this and Hoyle. It was quite a long journey, and I thank everyone who read this, and especially those of you kind enough to leave me reviews. Sadly, this will be my last series. I will finish up A is For… and then upload three more one-shots (one being the last entry for Sweethearts Week), and then I am done.


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